


I Need Them

by WuvWinchesterHugs



Series: Crossovers [19]
Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: Confessions, Firefighters, Gun Violence, Guns, Gunshot Wounds, M/M, Minor Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-26
Updated: 2020-08-04
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:26:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 19
Words: 30,979
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25531303
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WuvWinchesterHugs/pseuds/WuvWinchesterHugs
Summary: Chase Mackey is hell bent on making the 118 pay for cheating him out of the money from Buck's lawsuit, and will do whatever it takes to get Buck to reopen it.So when he turns up dead, and the entire team are suspects, Buck has to ask himself: how far would the 118 go to protect him?Based off a days of our lives storyline
Relationships: Athena Grant/Bobby Nash, Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV)
Series: Crossovers [19]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1542751
Comments: 13
Kudos: 81





	1. The Call

**Author's Note:**

> For the record: this is NOT the promised Buddie longfic. I decided I needed to write something smaller. Hope you still enjoy!

How the hell did they end up here?

That’s the question on both Buck and Eddie’s minds, as they both listen to the phone call from CPS.

“This call is to inform you we received an anonymous tip that suggests you may be a danger to your child. We need to know your location, and who can take care of the child until we finish our investigation. You will not be permitted to contact your son until you’ve been contacted by a third party supervisor, or until our investigation is complete.”

As of now, he has no rights to his son until the investigation is complete, and the judge determines Eddie is not a danger to Chris, or...he’ll be forced to give Chris up.

This, naturally, leads to Eddie having to get himself a lawyer, who seems nice, but Eddie can’t think about anything past the fact that he needs a lawyer at all. And why.

They’re also contacting everyone that knew about Eddie’s streetfighting. His therapist, who had to release his records during that time, and Lena who ratted him out to Bobby.

Buck didn’t know about it until after the lawsuit fiasco, so it couldn’t have been him.

Finally, they have a name.

Chase. Fucking. Mackey.


	2. The Motive

“Bobby, I’m not going to argue with you about this.” Eddie tells him, in between calls. “I’m with Buck. I just can’t see Mackey digging up any real evidence to use against me.”

“What about all the dirt he dug up on us? Could you picture that, before he actually did it? There is nothing Mackey won’t do to get what he thinks he’s entitled to.”

Eddie keeps shaking his head, “On the off chance this actually goes to court, and we have to call up witnesses, I think his reputation will sink him quicker than anything we could throw back.”

But Bobby’s not having it, “Eddie, I’m telling you now, that’s not an option.”

That succeeds in confusing both Buck and Eddie, “What?” “What the hell are you talking about?”

Seeing he has no choice, Bobby tells them, “Mackey called me shortly after you called me asking if I told him anything. He made it abundantly clear that if we so much as drag up his sketchy reputation or show any proof of said sketchiness, he’s going to see to it we all lose our jobs with the dirt he has on us.”

That’s shocking enough to get Buck to speak up, adamant, “No way in hell. I don’t buy that for a second. Mackey might have some connections, but he knows playing dirty would sink him.”

Bobby reminds him, “Mackey has plenty of damning information on all of us.” _No thanks to you,_ Bobby doesn’t say, but Buck knows it’s implied.

Buck’s quick to remind Bobby, “Christopher has both of us. Eddie’s well aware of how much Chris adores me. He knows I’m the first one to help him fall back asleep when he has a tsunami nightmare. Now Mackey might know Eddie’s and my weaknesses, and all of ours, but that still doesn’t change the fact that we’re Chris’ parents. First and foremost. So I know, the court will be on our side in this instance. Because no judge in the room will be able to deny we know what’s best for our kid, and that’s for me and Eddie to be in his life.”

Eddie’s had enough, and goes to grab one of Buck’s hands in support, as they both stand there, and as much as Bobby wants to tell them both to be practical, he can see just by how they’re standing together, leaning on each other, their minds are made up.

“Okay, I understand what you’re saying.” Bobby finally says, resigned. “Clearly you have a better insight on the situation than me, and it does look like you and Chris have a very close relationship as a family of three. Who am I to judge, anyway? It’s perfectly reasonable to think Mackey’s just trying to get attention because he didn’t get his money.”

Buck agrees, “There’s no reason to think it’s anything else.”

Bobby then tells them, “Okay. And you’re going to get a good lawyer to handle Mackey for you, so, it’ll just all work out, right?”

Eddie nods, “Absolutely.”

Bobby sighs in relief. “Okay. I’m glad I talked to you both. Kind of helped put things in perspective for me. Let’s make a plan to get together off shift, what do you say?”

Then the alarm goes off, and that’s the end of the conversation.

Later, Buck’s hanging up his phone, when Eddie calls out behind him,

“Hey! What’s wrong?”

Buck practically spits out, “You are not going to believe what just happened. Mackey just called and said how sorry he was about how it all came to this, he even tried to sound sincere.”

Eddie’s quick to say, “Mackey is a slimeball. Right now he’s in complete control over the situation. He wants us to think this only ends one way.”

That makes Buck panic even more, “It does. He can release the information he has on us whenever he feels like it, just like the dirt he has on everyone else stupid enough to trust him.”

Buck tries to walk away again, hating himself, as he goes on, “If Mackey really is in complete control over the situation, and he won’t settle for anything less than me reopening the lawsuit and take the settlement, just to make this all go away, and to keep us from losing our jobs, then...we could lose Chris.”

Eddie has to intervene here, because he can’t let Buck think about that for another second, “Buck, I need you to listen to me. I don’t care how this all plays out, or what we have to do, but I’m telling you right here and now, we are not letting that happen.”

As Buck looks in Eddie’s eyes, sees the conviction and determination that tells him Eddie means every word, Buck wants to believe him so badly.

If only he could.

“...Buck? Something you want to tell me?” Eddie asks a few days later in the locker room, holding up a piece of paper in Buck’s handwriting. “Little depressing, don’t you think?”

“Considering where my head’s at right now, how could I not be? It’s starting to show up in my to do lists.”

Eddie presses gently, “Because of Mackey?”

Buck confirms, “He’s literally making our lives a living hell.”

Eddie rolls his eyes, “Well, slimeballs are pretty good at that, aren’t they?”

At this, Buck changes his tune, “Eddie, I honestly don’t know how much more of this I can take. What’re we supposed to do if--”

“If what?” they suddenly hear behind them, and when they turn, they see Hen waiting for an answer.

Buck and Eddie share a look, knowing they can’t get her involved, not without dragging her down with them.

Too bad Hen didn’t get the memo. “If there’s something serious going on, I think as adopted family and a team member, I have a right to know.”

Buck’s quick to speak up, “It’s all my fault. I was the one who got talked into suing the 118, and everything's just been one big mess.”

Eddie agrees, “It really is one really messed up situation.”

That just has Hen more confused, “What does that have to do with anything? Wait, is something going on with the lawsuit?”

Eddie’s quick to reply, before Buck can, “That’s what Mackey wants. Absolutely.”

Hen’s shaking her head, “Okay, but that’s up to Buck, isn’t it? And Buck doesn’t want to reopen the lawsuit.”

Eddie replies enthusiastically, “Thank you! Can you please tell Mackey that, should you have the displeasure of bumping into him?”

But then Hen’s phone goes off, so she has to step away, but not before telling them, “If I ever see that asshole again, I’ll tear him a new one, then give him a piece of my mind. I got your back, same as I ever have.”

Then she walks away, prompting Buck and Eddie to turn to each other again.

Eddie wonders, “You really think she can knock some sense into Mackey?”

As much as Buck wants to, he has to be realistic, as he tells Eddie defeatedly, “How could she? He can ruin a bunch of innocent people’s lives just by opening his mouth. He’s not scared of Hen or anyone else that might get in his way.”

Then Buck shakes his head, starting to walk away, “I’m too wound up to deal with this right now. I’m gonna walk it off.”

But not before Eddie stops him, “Buck, listen. Just try to remember the system and the law is on our side, okay? Nobody is going to let this happen.”

At that, Buck has to concede, “I don’t doubt the system’s going to do what it’s there to do. But Mackey has all the cards right now, and he won’t stop until he gets exactly what he wants. I swear, if this ends with us never seeing Chris again…”

Now Eddie has to derail that train fast, grabbing Buck by the head with both hands as he insists, “That. Will never. Happen.”

Buck knows better than to disagree when Eddie says something like that, so he settles for just saying, “Sometimes I wish...”

Eddie pushes gently, “Wish what?”

Buck considers telling the truth, but quickly shakes his head, “Nothing. I gotta go.”

They share one last kiss, then Buck walks away, Eddie following him with his eyes until Buck disappears.


	3. The Threat

Buck’s looking at his phone when he hears off to the side, “Buck!”

Buck looks, and upon seeing Bobby, he stops. “Hey, Bobby.”

Bobby looks crushed, but still asks, “You been avoiding me?”

Confused, Buck replies, “No, why would you think that?”

And then it all comes out in a rush, “Because I’m the one that kept you from coming back, and basically pushed you in Mackey’s direction. I just want you to know, I never would’ve done that if I thought it was going to come back to haunt us like this-- ”

Buck holds out a hand to stop Bobby’s mini meltdown, “I know, Bobby. Trust me, I know.”

But Bobby doesn’t look convinced, “I’m sorry, Buck.”

Buck’s quick to tell him, “Hey, don’t freak out on me. It’s okay.”

Bobby shakes his head, “I feel terrible.”

But Buck is adamant, “Mackey loves looking for weaknesses and exploiting them. I just happened to be the fall guy. I’m even willing to bet I’m not the only person he’s done it to.”

Here, Buck shakes his head at himself, “I’m sorry. I know he hurt you too when he dragged up your past because of what I told him--”

Now Bobby’s the one cutting him off, “No, you’re right. You don’t ever have to apologize for badmouthing Mackey to me. Not after what he did.”

Eddie’s just grabbing a meal to take home, and who should he see but Mackey himself, sitting at a table.

Eddie knows he shouldn’t intervene, that it would just make everything worse in the long run, but at seeing that bastard’s face, he knows he can’t.

Eddie marches right up to him, and orders, “Get the hell out of here.”

Mackey just nonchalantly sips his drink, “Really good coffee. I’ll take this place over Starbucks any day.”

That pisses Eddie off even more, “Are you hard of hearing?”

Mack answers immediately, “I’m not.”, then looks up, “And if I were you, I’d get used to the idea of me popping up in places you all frequent. Cause I’m not going anywhere.”

Eddie almost wants to snap again, but decides to change tactics, “Let’s say you do get your money. How are you gonna sleep at night knowing you took an innocent child away from his father just to make it happen?”

“Who says I took your son away from you?”

“I wasn’t talking about me. Buck is well aware of what you’re trying to make him do. He just won’t talk about it.”

At that, Mackey turns away before turning to look at Eddie, “Buck remembers very well exactly how much money they offered him in the settlement. He knows how good a life he could have with that money.”

Eddie snaps, “So good you had to ruin his life just to make it happen?”

Mackey chuckles, “Buck’s pretty good at doing that all by himself. He didn’t even need me to do it.”

That hits a nerve, but Mackey’s not done as he sets his coffee down, “He’s all about your fire family now, but I remember not too long ago he was so angry at his captain, he was willing to file a lawsuit for not letting him come back, and even threw you all under the bus to twist the knife.”

Eddie knows all this, just like he knows Mackey’s trying to manipulate him, so he has no problem shooting that down, “He was hurt and angry.”

Mackey goes on, “And if Buck hadn’t said no to the settlement, or been invited back to the 118 anyway, you two wouldn’t be so cozy like you are now, would you?”

Mackey turns away again, “That would be me.”

Eddie states, “Buck loves Chris, and he loves me. And when he realizes you’re actually serious about this he’s gonna--”

“He’s gonna what?” Mackey cuts him off. “Decide it’s better to have you hate him for losing your son than to just reopen the lawsuit and take the money? Buck knows damn well if he decides to fight me on this, that’s exactly what’s going to happen.”

Eddie can’t take it anymore, “You bastard!”

“Buck’s made a lot of questionable decisions in his life.” Mackey keeps talking. “And I’m not just talking about the lawsuit. I’m talking about him all the times he was supposed to be suspended, and he stepped in to help anyway.”

That gets Eddie’s attention, and Mackey knows it, “And if CPS finds out how easily Buck ignores the rules...there’s no way in hell they’ll let him anywhere near that little boy, now or ever.”

At that, Eddie realizes the truth, “You don’t care about anyone you’re hurting, do you?”

Mackey snaps back, “You have no right to tell me how I feel about anything.”

Eddie goes on, “You just want Buck to be your little bitch, and go get your money for you.”

Mackey doesn’t take the bait, “I guess you and your honeybunch, Bobby and the rest, better start praying to whoever listening that Buck does.”

Mackey stands up, getting right in Eddie’s face, “Do you even know how sick and tired I am of all of you acting like you’re the ones in control here? Like you’re going to walk away the victor here? You’re an army man. Try and teach them a thing or two about following orders.”

Mackey stops here, to make sure he has Eddie’s complete attention, “Because you all answer to me now.”

With that, he dumps his coffee on Eddie’s shoes, and walks out.

After taking a moment to compose himself, Eddie pulls out his phone, tells Buck, “Hey, it’s Eddie. I’m going to be a little late with dinner. Say goodnight to Chris for me, would you?” then hangs up, one destination in mind.


	4. The Weapon

Eddie walks right into the pawn shop, the bell signalling to the cashier someone just walked in.

“We’re about to close up for the night.” the cashier tells him. “Don’t have the keys for the display cases.”

Eddie’s quick to assure him, “That’s okay. I’m just here to look at the stuff that just came in. Shouldn’t take long.”

The guy behind the counter looks like he wants to kick Eddie out anyway, but all he says is, “Fine. Don’t tell anyone I said it was okay.”, then sets the box on the counter, and walks to the back room.

The second he’s gone, he looks past the box, moving behind the counter to snoop until he sees what he’s looking for.

He carefully opens the wooden box, revealing the small gun collection he sold back when he and Chris first came to LA, to hold them off until they got a real job.

For a moment, Eddie just stands there, wondering if he’s really going to do this.

Mackey’s checking his phone when he hears behind him,

“Mackey.”

Mackey turns, and sure enough, it’s Evan Buckley himself.

“Wow.” Mackey smiles. “Looks like I hit the jackpot. First your captain, then your sweetheart, and now the 118’s charity case.”

Buck ignores this, “We have some unfinished business we need to take care of, don’t we?”

Mackey shakes his head, “Oh I don’t think so, charity case.”

Buck snaps, “You’re gonna want to stop calling me that.”

Mackey laughs, “Why? If the secondhand slipper fits...”, then smirks. “Your precious captain still worships the ground you walk on, even though you threw his alcoholism back in his face. Your boyfriend still wants you in his kid’s life despite losing him in the tsunami. Only a charity case would ever get away with something like that.”

Buck’s in no mood to listen, “Enough.”

Mackey shakes his head, “No, I’m not going to be rushed on this. You might have that whole team wrapped around your little finger, but what about everyone else? Anybody who knows the truth would have to question if you’re fit to be a father to anyone, much less that little crippled kid.”

Buck doesn’t even bother responding, just swings his fist right into Mackey’s face.

Mackey's words run through Eddie's head again,

_"You’re an army man. Try and teach them a thing or two about following orders. Because you all answer to me now.”_

That's all the reason he needs to pick one of the guns up, getting a feel for it back in his hands.

Mackey stumbles back, wiping a hand over his mouth, before replying,

“I think we both know this has been a long time coming, don’t we?”

With that, he lunges at Buck, shoving him down.

“Come on, Buckley! Show me what you threw all that money away for!”

“I’m done!” Buck shouts.

“Oh yeah?” Mackey taunts.

“We’re all done!” Buck yells, then charges at Mackey.

Mackey blocks it, and counters by punching him right in the face.

“Is that all you got? I don’t think so!” Mackey taunts from above.

“Why the hell won’t you just go away!” Buck yells back, before leaping on Mackey again.

They struggle for a few seconds as they refuse to let go, which Mackey uses to say,

“Believe me, I’m going to. Just as soon as I get my money. And Chris too. Gotta keep you in line any way I can right?”

Buck feels sick to his stomach at the words, “You bastard. You sick bastard!”

Buck goes to lunge for Mackey again, but wouldn’t you know it, that’s right when Athena shows up, pulling Buck away from Mackey.

“Buck, calm down. Take a breath.”

Athena has to physically hold herself against Buck to stop him from going after Mackey again, even as Buck shouts, “I will end you! You make us lose our son, I will end you!”

Mackey offers himself up, taunting, “What’re you waiting for? I’m right here!”

Before Buck can try again, Athena gets a firm grip on Buck’s arms as she tells him, “You need to calm down.” Then to really drive it home, Athena clasps both hands around Buck’s head, “Now.”

That seems to work, but it doesn’t stop the death glare Buck sends Mackey’s way, so Athena reminds him, “Think about your son, Buck.”, and that finally gets Buck to stop fighting her strong grip.

“You’re not going to do anything to me, Buck.” Mackey keeps taunting. “You couldn’t even come up with the lawsuit on your own, you had to have me hold your hand and do it for you.”

“Shut up!” Athena’s quick to say, holding out an arm between her and Mackey.

Mackey points a finger at Buck. “He threatened me, Sergeant Grant. You heard it too, didn’t you? Last I checked, a cop is supposed to take something like that seriously.”

That gets Athena to finally let go of Buck so she can get right in Mackey’s face. “Honey, right now I’m not a cop. I’m a good friend of Buck’s, and if you don’t leave this minute, I won’t hesitate to put your ass on the floor.”

Mackey laughs in her face, “Wow. You almost sound like you mean it.”

Athena sends a taunt right back, “Try me.”

But Mackey knows better than to try something in front of a cop, on duty or not, because he says,

“Hey, Buck. Good luck with CPS.”

Athena doesn’t let him say anything else, and snaps, “Get the hell out of here.”

Mackey starts to, but Buck can’t resist trying to lunge at him again, but Athena is right there to grab him before he can get close enough.

“Buck, don’t. It’s exactly what he wants. Don’t.”

Buck knows she’s right, and after one last angry look, lets the air out of his lungs and relaxes his shoulders.

Eddie lifts the part the guns are resting in, revealing yet another one with a silencer underneath it, picking the gun up and pointing it away from him.

Then, he picks up the magazine, and once it’s loaded, picks up the silencer, twisting it on the barrel, then pointing it away from him again.

A noise from the back reminds him he’s not alone, so quickly, he stashes the gun and silencer in the bag he brought with him, knowing the cashier would never know it was missing, and calls out, “Looks like I couldn’t find anything. Thanks anyway!”, then puts the wooden box back where he found it, and leaves the store with his stolen gun.

“You realize Mackey might as well have planned that, the way you reacted?” Athena tells Buck, as he paces, trying to walk off his anger. “You attacked _and_ threatened him right in front of a cop. You realize if your CPS case goes to court, there’s nothing stopping his legal team from calling me to testify against you, right?”

Buck snaps, hoping Athena knows it’s not her he’s mad at, “He talked about taking Chris away from us.”

Athena agrees, “Exactly! You’re giving him exactly what he wants so he can do that!”

Buck winces, and that seems to soften Athena some, as she puts a hand on his shoulder, “Buck, listen to me. I don’t believe for a second CPS will find anything damning against either one of you that could end with you losing Chris. But Mackey? I have no idea what he’d do. Obviously he knows his way around the legal system.”

Buck doesn’t say anything, so Athena goes on, “I want to help you, Buck, but you and Eddie need to be smart about this.”

Buck sighs in resignation, “I have no idea how we’re supposed to beat him without…” Buck trails off, then just says, “I don’t know how we’re supposed to beat him, period. Not while we’re all sitting ducks waiting for me to hit my breaking point.”

Athena tries to be optimistic, “It won’t last, Buck. Go home. Ice your bruises. Stop letting a slimeball like Mackey get under your skin.”

Buck’s not sure what else he can say, but after one last look in her direction, decides to just do as she says, and walks away.

Eddie walks through the front door, calling out, “Buck?”, and when he doesn’t get a reply, he quickly sits down on the couch, to pull the gun out of his bag, just to get a better feel of it.

Then when he hears the front door, he quickly stashes it back in his bag again, and the second he sees Buck, he demands, “What the hell happened?”

Buck looks at the blood on his shirt, as well as some of the cuts and bruises and just says, “What do you think happened? Mackey happened.”

Eddie’s blood pressure skyrockets hearing that, then looks back at the bag, where the gun is stashed, before deciding to not say anything about it, not yet.

Quickly, he goes to the kitchen to grab some ice, and once he has Buck sitting across from him, Eddie gently holds the ice over Buck’s busted lip.

“Athena was right. I played right into Mackey’s sick game. She even heard me tell Mackey I would end him.” Buck says, flinching from the cold to where he has to pull away the ice pack.

“Sorry.” Eddie’s quick to apologize, checking the rest of Buck’s injuries.

“Least the bastard wasn’t wearing a ring.” Buck admits, then tells Eddie defeatedly, “I messed up, Eddie.”

Eddie shakes his head, “Actually, you didn’t. He was trying to get a reaction out of you, and that’s all it was.”

Buck’s already shaking his head, “No, it’s not. He can call Athena to testify at the CPS trial.”

Eddie reminds him, “Buck, our own lawyer can call up people all up and down LA who would swear on anything they want Mackey dead. And sometimes, when you tell a father you’re taking his kid away from him, the dad’s going to start throwing punches.”

Buck looks at Eddie hopefully, as Eddie goes on,

“What we really need to do is stop acting like he’s the one in control.”

Buck has no clue why Eddie would think that, “He is. He could have us all stripped of our titles and banned from firefighting ever again.”

Thinking of the gun again, Eddie reaches up a hand to rest behind Buck’s head, “Buck, I promise you, I’m not going to let him take Chris. I promise you that’s not going to happen.”

Buck can’t believe it, no matter how much he wants to, “There’s nothing you can do.”

But Eddie is adamant, “No Diaz has ever just rolled over and taken that.”, leans in to kiss Buck softly, then pulls away.

“I love you, Evan Buckley. I’d never let anything bad happen to you. Never.”

Buck knows better than to argue with Eddie when he’s like this, so he just leans in for another kiss, one that turns steamy pretty quick, so much so, when Eddie leans over Buck to get him on his back, Buck knocks over the bag, making it fall to the floor.

At the loud bang, Eddie freezes, knowing Buck heard, and sure enough, Buck picks it up, asking, “What the hell?”

Buck reaches in, wondering out loud, “What do you have in here?”

Eddie tries to grab for it, attempting to cover, “Just some stuff--” but he knows the gig’s up once he sees Buck pull the gun out.


	5. The Crime

“Are you telling me you’d actually use it?” Buck demands, still holding the gun. “Why would you even--” Buck cuts himself off, looks at the gun, then back at Eddie, and suddenly, it becomes crystal clear.

“Oh my God. Please tell me I’m wrong.”

But Eddie can’t, and Buck knows it. It’s written all over Eddie’s face.

“You were actually going to shoot Mackey, weren’t you?”

Knowing better than to lie, Eddie nods, “Yes.”

Buck looks horrified at this, so Eddie explains,

“Mackey will get us all fired if you don’t do what he wants.”

Eddie sees the change in Buck’s eyes immediately upon understanding, so Eddie uses that to keep going, “Exactly. It’s getting worse, Buck. It’s one thing when you wanted to sue the 118 to get your job back, and when you thought you’d been wrongfully benched, that was perhaps misguided, but still understandable how you got to that point. You’re a grown man, Buck, and we can’t always stop you from making decisions we don’t agree with. But you’re not suing the team anymore. This whole thing has you sick to your stomach, and from what Mackey’s threatening us with, you have every right to be. Mackey’s gone off the deep end. And this is the guy using Chris as leverage?”

That finally gets Buck to look away in shame, but Eddie’s not done.

“My son? _Our_ son? I refuse to let that happen to Chris.”

Buck reaches into the bag again, pulling out both the silencer and the magazine, looks at them all in his hands for several seconds before saying definitively,

“No. There has to be another way.”

With that, Buck stands up, going to set them down on the counter, Eddie following him as he says,

“There isn’t, Buck. We’ll ruin everyone’s lives.”

“You know how it feels to shoot someone, Eddie.” Buck reminds him, looking right at Eddie.

“Yeah, I do.” Eddie confirms.

“Well I don’t. I would never forgive myself if you re-triggered your PTSD by shooting a civilian, much less one that’s only in our lives because of me.”

Eddie reminds Buck right back, “I was a soldier fighting for my country. And yes, it still weighs on you. Believe me, I wasn’t planning on telling you what I was planning.”

At that, Buck’s face reaches a new level of horror, “Do you actually mean to tell me you were willing to take this to your grave? How exactly did you think that would work out?”

Seeing he’s got Eddie’s attention, Buck goes on, “Mackey is a serious problem, a very serious problem.” Buck holds up the gun for emphasis. “But this is something you can’t take back once it’s done, and deep down, you know that. Where the hell did you get it, anyway? And a silencer, too?”

Eddie admits, “Gun case in a pawn shop. I knew it was still there because I’m the one that sold it to them. My dad gave it to me as a going away gift when I enlisted in the army. But no one saw me take this one.” Eddie adds to assure Buck.

But Buck’s not thinking about that, “You need to take it back. Now, before the shop realizes you stole a gun from them.”

Seeing he’s not going to win this one, Eddie nods in resignation, “I will. Promise.”

Then Buck’s phone goes off, so while Buck goes to answer it, Eddie puts the gun, silencer and magazine back in his duffle bag.

After looking at the name, Buck tells Eddie, “I have to go meet Bobby. I really hate leaving things like this.”

Eddie assures him, not even turning around, “It’s okay, I have an errand to run anyway, before I have to get to the station.”

Buck refuses to let it go, “Can you take it back on the way?”

Eddie sighs, “Not right away.”

Buck stutters angrily, “I just-I don’t want a gun in this house!”

Seeing how agitated Buck is, Eddie rushes to assure him, “I will keep it in my duffle bag for the rest of the shift, way in the back of my locker, and once our shift’s over, I’ll put it back the same way I took it, okay? They’ll never even know it was gone.”

Buck nods, “Okay.”, but even he can see how hard Eddie’s trying, so Buck tells him,

“I love you. I can’t believe you’d actually shoot someone for me.”

But still, “But you know that would be wrong, right?”

Eddie nods, more sure each time he’s reminded, “I do.”

The next morning, they head to the station, Buck watching Eddie with every step as he stashes it in his locker as promised.

“Second we’re off shift, it’s gone.”

Buck nods, asking hesitantly, “You know this for the better, right?”, kissing Eddie softly.

Eddie kisses back, then asks in return, “You know if it really came down to it, it wouldn’t even be a question. You know I’d do anything for you.”

Buck has to smile at that, “I know you would.”

Then the alarm goes off, and their shift has begun.

“Hey.” Eddie hears, and when he looks up, Hen’s coming to sit next to him.

“How’re you doing? How’s Buck holding up?”

Eddie shrugs, admitting, “As good as can be expected.”

Hen pushes, “So the court contacted you?”

That throws Eddie completely off, “What?”

Seeing she just dropped a huge bomb on Eddie, she tells him the rest, “Brace yourself. This whole thing just got ten times worse.”

“Buck? Are you okay? You look like hell.” Bobby tells him, right as Buck’s closing the office door.

Buck replies, “Been one hell of a week.”

Bobby moves on, “Actually, that’s part of what I wanted to talk to you about. I think things might be turning around for the better.”

Bobby’s excited, “I talked to someone, and they have every reason to believe that Mackey’s going to come around.”

Unfortunately, that doesn’t assure Buck like Bobby was hoping, “That’s it? One meaningful conversation with some random person, and that’s supposed to make me feel better?”

Bobby backpedals, “No. I’m sorry. I knew how that sounded the second I said it. But I’m trying to tell you I believe it’s all going to be okay, instead of--”

“Mackey is a stick of wet dynamite.” Buck interrupts. “It’s never going to stop, and nothing is going to change. There is nothing, and no one, he won’t use to his advantage.”

“What if that’s not the case?” Bobby asks.

But Buck’s now focused on something else. “Where the hell have you been, anyway? Mackey doesn’t care who he hurts, Bobby, even you.”

Bobby physically flinches at that, and Buck definitely notices, and immediately asks, “Does he have something else on you too? Something even I don’t know?”

Out on the streets of LA, in the dead of night, Mackey’s sitting on a bench, thinking over everything.

He knows he’s not a good person. Hasn’t been in quite a while. 

He thinks about all the people he did help, before he turned into a glorified ambulance chaser. He thinks about how he was so desperate to do something right, the only thing that could make his life mean something, at least to the most important people in his life, he even took a kid away from his parents.

Without thinking, he pulls his phone out, dialing a number he knows by heart, never having the courage to dial it before now.

But he knows he has to, before he loses his nerve.

When the voicemail picks up, he says shakily,

“Hey, Sophie. It’s me.”

“So there’s no exact date, but the person that called me did say it’ll be sometime next week.” Hen tells Eddie, who’s still reeling.

“Isn’t the court supposed to tell us that?” Eddie demands, then shakes his head. “No, screw that. Why wouldn’t Buck tell me?”

Hen quickly tells Eddie, “It was a complete ambush, Eddie.”

“Buck acted like it would never even make it to court.” Eddie thinks out loud.

“Because he didn’t know.” Hen tries to tell him.

“Buck meant it, too.” Eddie continues.

“Shouldn’t that tell you everything?” Hen asks. “Buck has no say over any of this.”

Eddie has to resist rolling his eyes. “We know who’s the only one with any say in this whole thing. In everything.”

“Bobby, please don’t lie to me. I can see it all over your face.” Buck keeps pushing. “Does it have something to do with your alcoholism? Always seemed like something really traumatizing happened, and that’s what made you go sober, or something.”

“Or something.” Bobby echoes, not elaborating.

Which just prompts Buck to try filling in the blanks, “Let me guess. Mackey tells you he knows, but it’s okay, he’s not going to say anything, long as you just do...whatever it is he wants you to do.”

“Actually no. Not even close to being that simple.” Bobby can admit that much. “Jesus, Buck, it’s bad. And if anyone found out about this, anyone serious, it wouldn’t just hurt me, it would hurt my family. I’d be reopening a lot of healed wounds.”

Bock shakes his head, “You’re a wreck.”

“I know that.” Bobby snaps.

“So tell me. Tell someone that won’t use it against you.”

For a second, it actually looks like Bobby might actually tell him, but right then, someone knocks on the door, and Bobby waves it off, “You should answer that.”

Buck doesn’t need any more prompting, and gets up to open the door, “Eddie?”

“You’ll want to sit down for this.” Eddie doesn’t bother wasting his breath on a greeting.

“...Okay.” Buck follows Eddie to the table, sitting down.

“We have a hearing date next week. In Family Court.”

Buck’s mouth drops open, “What? I thought there wasn’t enough evidence to warrant a hearing.”

“Mackey has to be pushing it hard.” Eddie tells him, then shakes his head. “I have to go. I can’t miss my supervised visit with Chris.”

Buck immediately understands, and just says, “Go. Don’t let me keep you.”

Needing no other prompting, Eddie takes off, only their son on his mind.

“Thought I should make amends before it’s too late. I’m getting help. Professional help. I don’t--I don’t know how I can keep all this up on my own, and I have to get a handle on it, fast. It’s about time I started being a person our daughter can be proud of, you know?”

Mackey stands up, pacing as he goes on, “I’m hurting people that don’t deserve it. I know that. But really, I’m just hurting myself. I don’t want to do either of those things. But I can stop, I know I can.”

Mackey takes a breath, then finishes, “Wow. I feel lighter already, just saying it out loud. Like there might be a chance--”

Mackey never finishes the thought, as a white hot pain hits him right in the back. He turns to look, and sees the person in the shadows, who fires three more times, hitting him right in the chest.

Mackey touches the bullet wound with his hand, and falls to the ground, and the shooter in the shadows disappears without a trace.

When the alarm goes off at the 118, Eddie’s still not back from his supervised visit with Chris, so they have to go out a man down.

Buck can’t help the unsettling feeling in his gut as he gets in the truck, but tries to write it off as nothing more than just anxiety over the newest development.

But then, he gets a text from Eddie,

_E: Sorry I had to drop the bomb on you like that._

Buck thinks for a minute, then replies back,

_B: know something? I’m glad you did. Now at least I had some kind of warning._

When they finally arrive, the 136 is already here to try and get a handle on the panicking crowd. The sick feeling in Buck’s gut gets worse, especially once he sees the look on Athena’s face once he gets out of the truck.

One by one, they all move towards where there’s apparently a gunshot victim, and one by one, they all freeze, looking right at Buck as they let him come closer.

Buck has no idea what to make of this, but the second he lays eyes on the victim, it all becomes crystal clear.

Chase Mackey has been shot.


	6. The Suspect List

Bobby’s the first one to speak, immediately taking charge, “Chim, Hen, look him over. Now.”

They both nod, knowing better than to disobey a captain’s orders.

“He’s got at least two gunshot wounds, looks like one hit an artery.” Chim grabs a sanitizing wipe. “I’m gonna put pressure on the wound to stop the bleeding.”

The rest of the team is still in shock, too stunned by what they’re seeing, as Chim checks for a pulse.

“He’s alive, but with a very weak pulse. But I’m only seeing two entry wounds.”

Once the bleeding’s stopped, he and Hen get him on a backboard, wrap a cervical collar around Mackey’s neck and load him up in the ambulance.

As Buck and Bobby walk back to the truck, Buck demands, “Where exactly was he shot?”

Bobby shakes his head, “I have no idea. They think he wandered off some, maybe trying to move towards whoever shot him, then collapsed.”

Buck can’t believe it, “He wandered off with two bullets still inside him?”, then turns to the crowd, “Did you hear anything?”, only to be met with a bunch of people shaking their heads.

Athena orders her partner, “This area is secure. Forensics team is on their way. Get all the contact information from everyone here. Once everyone’s calmed down, I’m going to want to speak to them. As far as they all know, I know exactly where to find them.”

Once her partner walks off to get started, the pulls out her own flashlight to start following the blood trail.

“Is he going to make it?” Buck and Bobby hear behind them, and when they turn, they find one Lena Bosko walking towards them.

Confused, Buck tells her honestly, “It doesn’t look good, and from where I was standing, it was a miracle he was even breathing.”

Bobby tells them both, “Buck, you’re heading to the hospital. Get off the clock and go get ahold of Eddie.”

Buck doesn’t need to be told twice, riding the truck back to the station, and calling Eddie as he points his car to the hospital.

The second Buck walks in the ER, demanding answers, he manages to find out Mackey was already taken into surgery, but Buck’s barely listening, his entire body shaking as the reality of what just happened hits him full force.

“Buck?” Comes from behind him, and at the sight of more blood, Buck almost faints, but two strong arms grab him, “Easy, easy. It’s okay.”

Buck lets the voice anchor him, and once he finds his legs again, he’s able to see clearly.

Turns out the blood he saw is on Eddie’s shirt, and immediately, Buck’s demanding, “Eddie, what the hell?”

Eddie looks down, like he genuinely forgot it’s there, then immediately explains, “It’s not mine. Chris had a nosebleed and some got on my shirt.”

Whether because Buck still can’t think clearly or because he’s choosing not to, Buck just accepts that answer, instead telling Eddie,

“I know we never got along with the guy, and he made enough mistakes to last a lifetime, but we both know he didn’t deserve this.”

Eddie tries to be helpful, “Let’s not freak out until there’s news. They saved your life dozens of times when you were in here, no reason to think they won’t do the same for Mackey.”

Here, Buck takes a minute to look at Eddie, at the supposed nosebleed on his shirt, as well as how stoic Eddie’s acting, and starts to wonder…

“Guess the trail wasn’t too hard to follow.” Athena comments, “Lost a lot of blood.”

She and Officer Lee keep looking, and finally, “I think I found the spot we’re looking for. See all the matted grass?” She shines the light on it. “Roughly the size of Chase Mackey’s body.”

Lee shakes his head, “So how did he manage to walk an entire block away before he collapsed? Couldn’t have been easy.”

Athena agrees, “My estimate? He wasn’t moving too fast.”

Lee inquires, “You said you were already here when Chase Mackey got here?”

Athena replies, “That’s right.”

“Where was everyone else? All of them. The 118, the 136...”

That doesn’t sound right to Athena, “You think one of them was involved in this?”

Lee shrugs, “How could they not? It took us about 10 minutes just to pull up. And we know it took Chase Mackey a while to get there too. Plenty of time for someone to shoot him, get rid of the gun...”

But upon seeing Athena still looking at the matted grass, Lee probes, “What? What is it? You think there’s a different time stamp?”

Athena shakes her head, “No.”

Lee backs off, “Then you know the protocol. Everyone who was there is a suspect.”

Athena nods, knowing that already, as they both make their way back.

Somehow, Buck and Eddie make their way to a waiting room, Buck on the phone.

“Thanks, Bobby. I’ll keep you posted.” Buck replies, then hangs up.

“Bobby just wanted to check in. Said we’re fine to stay here as long as needed. The team will make do without us.”

Eddie shakes his head, “This is messed up. What about you?” Eddie quickly changes the subject.

Buck doesn’t even know how to answer that, “I can’t even believe--”

“I know. Believe me, I know.” Eddie’s quick to say.

Whatever suspicions Buck has get worse, and without thinking, he tells Eddie urgently, “You need to get the gun back to the pawn shop. Immediately.”

Eddie agrees, “First thing once we’re done here.”

Buck walls back out to the nurse’s station, only to find Maddie there, asking, “Any word?”

Buck shakes his head, “No, nothing new yet.”

But then, an OR doctor shows up, and immediately, the three of them crowd her.

“How is he?” “How did the surgery go?” “Is he going to make it?”

The doctor’s face is grim as she tells them, “Mr. Mackey’s wounds were very severe. Major artery collapse, and he coded three times. We managed to revive him, but the last time proved to be too much for his body.”

If Buck thought he was panicking before, that’s nothing compared to now, at hearing Chase Mackey, a slimeball, but still a human being, is dead.

“He was pronounced dead on the table 20 minutes ago. I’m sorry, I wish I had better news.”

Maddie immediately looks to Buck, and Buck immediately looks to Eddie, not wanting to believe it, but they all know what this means.

“I can’t believe he’s gone.” Eddie says absently, then puts a hand on Buck’s shoulder. “Are you okay?”

But before Buck can respond, Maddie’s grabbing him in a hug, and he’s hugging back so tightly, he almost misses the look Eddie shares with him, and in that moment, Buck can’t deny the truth anymore.

Later, when Buck goes into Eddie’s locker, and finds the gun and silencer, he’s frozen for a moment, when Eddie comes up behind him.

They share a look, not saying anything, before Buck finally thinks to say, “You got back here quick.”

Eddie walks past Buck to get into his locker, “Yeah, pretty cut and dry at the hospital.”

Buck sets the gun down, hand behind his head as he tries to ask nonchalantly, “Did you come back here before showing up at the hospital?”

Eddie looks thrown by this for a second, then replies, “Oh, I came back to change my shirt, when I got your call from the hospital. Guess I left my spare shirt.”

Once Eddie’s changed, he asks, “You came back to check to make sure the gun was still here, didn’t you?”

Buck replies honestly, “I think we should get it the hell out of here first chance we get, since it’s almost closing time for the pawn shop.”

Eddie reasons, “Might be other customers in there too. Probably will have to wait another day to make sure no one else is in the store.”

Buck insists, “First thing when you get off shift.”

Eddie nods, not quite understanding why Buck’s so freaked out, “First thing.”

But to show he’s on Buck’s side, Eddie adds, “Everything’s going to be okay, Buck.”

Buck wants to deny more than anything how suspicious that sounds, but everything Eddie’s saying just doesn’t sound right anymore. Nothing has, not since Chase Mackey turned up dead.

“Well, I’m exhausted. So what do you say to heading home to sleep this whole day off?” Eddie says, then starts to turn to go.

Buck can’t let it ends there, and grabs Eddie’s shoulder, insistent when he says,

“You know there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you, right? For you and Chris?”

Eddie looks in Buck’s eyes, nodding in reassurance, “Of course I do. And it goes both ways. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you. Nothing.”

Buck hates how words that used to be so reassuring, now sound more threatening, but he just nods, and follows Eddie home for the night.


	7. The Questioning

The first piece of good news they receive is one they’d honestly forgotten about.

With Mackey dead, therefore no longer pushing the case, and due to lack of real evidence of abuse, the CPS case was officially dropped.

Buck and Eddie hug excitedly when they hang up, Eddie telling him, “See? I told you it was all going to work out!”

Buck wants to believe that, despite the sinking feeling, but he pushes that aside, not wanting anything to ruin this excitement, “God I hope so.”

They share a kiss, then Eddie says, “I’m gonna go put the gun back, and pick up our son.”

Eddie moves to do just that, only to get surprise #2 waiting for him on his doorstop.

“Edmundo Diaz?” the uniformed officer asks.

Eddie nods, “That’s me.”

The officer tells him, “I’m going to need you to come with me.”

About an hour later, there’s a knock on the door, and when Buck answers it, he finds Athena.

“Hey. Eddie’s on his way to go grab Chris from his abuela.”

Athena steps inside, telling him, “I’m actually not here to see Eddie. I’m here to talk to you.”

Athena turns, “About Mr. Chase Mackey.”

“Mr. Diaz, please. Have a seat.” Officer Hastings gestures to the seat in front of him,wary of the gun still in the duffle bag he’s carrying.

“Is it safe to assume you know why you’re here?”

Eddie answers honestly as he sits down, “Actually, I don’t.”

Hastings is quick to say, “Well you can relax. Put your duffle bag down. This could take a while.”

Eddie complies, slowly setting it down so he doesn’t make the same mistake as last time.

Hastings catches it, repeating, “Like I said, relax. There’s no reason to be nervous. I just have to ask you some questions about last night. Just protocol for witnesses and the response team.”

Eddie quickly answers, “Unfortunately there’s nothing I witnessed.”

Hastings asks, “You were at the scene of the crime, weren’t you? As part of the 118?”

Eddie shakes his head, “Actually, no. I’d left beforehand because I had a scheduled supervised visit with my son.”

“So you didn’t see Chase Mackey covered in blood?” Hasting pushes.

Seeing what the cop’s getting at, Eddie tells him, “No, but I did show up at the hospital after my partner called me and told me what happened. Got a pretty good picture from there. But a bunch of other people were there too.”

Hastings states, “Looks like we got a lot of people to question. Starting with you. Mr. Diaz, is there anything you remember about last night, at all, that might help us catch Chase Mackey’s murderer?”

At that, Eddie can’t help but steal a glance at his duffle bag, where the gun is still hiding, before admitting, “No, there’s nothing.”

Hastings moves on, “What about the last time you saw Chase Mackey?”

That confuses Eddie, “Excuse me?”

Hastings elaborates, “Before he was shot. Did you see him at all, that same day?”

This Eddie feels comfortable enough answering honestly, “Yeah, actually I did. He was at the same coffee house where I’d just picked up some pastries.”

Hasting definitely is intrigued by that, “And did you two talk?”

Again, Eddie nods, no need to hide it, “Yeah, we did.”

Here, Hastings pauses to turn on a recorder. “Mr. Diaz, there are witnesses that put you and Chase Mackey together, and they were pretty adamant about how heated it got between you two. Mind clarifying that last statement for me?”

Eddie almost wants to laugh, “Are you saying I’m a suspect?”

Hastings corrects him, “Right now, everyone is. And if you want off the list, you need to be honest with me. No holds barred. Understand?”

When Eddie nods, Hastings goes on, “Okay then. Now let’s try this again.”

Hastings taps the recorder again, and asks, “Now, tell me more about the last time you saw Chase Mackey, before he was shot.”

Athena sits on the family couch, telling Buck, “Why don’t we start talking about last night?”

Buck takes the loveseat, agreeing, “Sounds good to me. I have nothing to hide.”

Athena narrows her eyes, “I don’t either, and the last thing I’d do is lie if I did know something.”

Buck agrees again, “I’m not going to do that either.”

Hoping they’re on the same page, Athena goes on, “Alright. Let’s start with an easy question. Do you know about the CPS trial set for tomorrow?”

Buck replies, “Yes. Well, actually, it was cancelled. Without Mackey backing it up, the whole thing got thrown out the window.”

Athena smiles, “Good. See, I knew things would work themselves out if you just waited. Now, back to the real question. Did you know about it yesterday?”

Buck nods, “I did.”

Athena pushes, “When?”

Buck tells her, “Last night.”

Athena nods in confirmation, “Not too long before Mackey was shot.”

Buck wants to kick himself for not putting that together, but all he says is, “I guess.”

“And not long after I broke up that fight between you and Mackey, where I heard you say specifically if he tried to keep you away from your son, you would...”

“Kill him?” Buck finishes.

“Mackey essentially said he’s going to take what was rightfully his, including the money he never got when my partner dropped his lawsuit, and not letting us near Chris to keep us quiet. So yeah, I was a little upset, and wasn’t shy about telling him.”

“Sounds like you were really angry, Mr. Diaz.” Hastings remarks.

“Look, you saw both of us.” Buck says, “I won’t deny it. I was really pissed off at Mackey. And don’t think he didn’t know it. Telling me about how he was going to do whatever the hell he wanted and get away with it, and there wasn’t a damn thing I could do except fall in line be his little bitch.” Buck doesn’t bother hiding the bitterness, knowing it’s useless.

Then, Buck leans forward, “But people say and do a lot of things when they’re pissed. You know that better than anyone.”

That Athena can agree with, “You’re right, I do. But usually the person you say that to doesn’t end up dead within hours of hearing it.”

Buck scoffs, “Are you serious? Be serious, Athena. You honestly believe I killed Mackey?”

“I admit it, I was angry. Me and Buck even talked to a co worker about talking to Mackey about his involvement in the whole CPS case. Don’t you have that in your notes?”

Hastings agrees, “It is.”

“Okay.” Eddie shakes his head. “Call me crazy, but with a guy like Mackey, anger is just a natural reaction. You’ve probably dealt with a lot of people who got screwed over by him at some point.”

Hastings makes another note, then asks, “Is there anything else you want to tell me, anything about Chase Mackey’s death?”

For a second, Eddie’s stuck in a flashback of him stashing the gun in his duffle bag, but he tries to quickly squash it down.

“No. Not a thing.”

Hastings doesn’t look like he believes him, but just says, “Okay.”, turning the recorder off. “That’s all the questions for now. You’re off the hook.”

Glad it’s finally done, Eddie carefully lifts his duffle bag, and walks out of the room, and out of the station.

“My personal opinion doesn’t factor into this, Buck.” Athena tells him, as she stands back up. “I’m more worried about how it’s looking right now.”

Buck nods in understanding, “You’re going to tell your boss about my fight with Mackey.”

But it looks like he was wrong, as Athena says, “No, I’m not. You are.”

Miraculously, Eddie feeds the guy behind the counter the exact same line, and the guy just waves him in and goes into the back room once again, just like last time.

The second he’s gone, Eddie sneaks behind the counter, exactly where he left the gun case, lifting the lid.

This time’s a little more nerve wracking, now that there’s a real chance he could get caught with a weapon within days of someone getting shot.

Eddie lifts the cushion with the two other guns, pulls out the gun he took from his duffle, as well as the silencer, and on impulse, pulls out a handkerchief to wipe it down for prints.

No way in hell is he about to let him or Buck hang for something this big.

There’s a knock on Hastings’ door, and at the sight of the woman standing there, Hastings waves her in.

“Come on in.”

As she walks in, she tells him, “I have something on my phone that I think will help with the murder of Chase Mackey. You’re going to want to hear it.”

As the woman pulls out her phone, she tells Hastings, “I’m Sophie Mackey. Chase was my ex husband. And he called me last night.”

Hastings is shocked, but she’s not done, “I didn’t even hear it until just this morning.”, then presses the play button.

_“Hey, Sophie. It’s me. Thought I should make amends before it’s too late…like there might be a chance--”_

They both listen as Chase is cut off, gasping for air.

Quickly, Hastings tells Sophie, “I’ll need a copy of that for the techs.”

Sophie nods, “Of course.”

Hastings muses, “I’ll bet this is why we haven’t found Mackey’s phone. Since he chose to use it that night, the killer clearly took it. Maybe those last words will help us find the killer.”

But then, someone else walks up to the door, and when they both look, they see Sargent Grant, along with Evan Buckley, another suspect.

Eddie continues his frantic wipe down of the whole gun case, not wanting to take any chances, then finally closes the lid, gun and silencer back where he found it.

“What was that about Chase Mackey’s last words?” Athena addresses Sophie.

Sophie holds up her phone, “Chase left a voicemail on my phone last night, the same time he was shot.”

Behind Athena, Buck explodes, “Mackey called you? What the hell did he say?”

Sophie looks away, “He was trying to reach out. He told me he was going to get help.”

Buck scoffs, “Seriously?”

Athena’s quick to say, “We don’t know what his real intentions were, one way or another.”

Hastings stands up, asking, “Sarge, what is Evan Buckley doing here?”

Buck looks at Athena, before answering himself, “I, uh...wanted to talk to you about something.”

Athena stops him, “Do you want me in here with you, Buck?”

Buck shakes his head, “No, I’ll be fine. Thanks.”

Satisfied, Athena walks out of the room, leaving Buck alone with Hastings.

“So...Mr. Buckley, what brings you to my office?”

Buck starts slowly, “Uh...it’s about Mackey. Not long before he was shot, I...threatened to kill him.”

As Athena steps out of Hastings’ office, her phone goes off, and it’s Bobby.

“I _have to know. Is Buck in serious trouble?_ ”

Athena can’t say how she really feels, lest she jinxes it, “No, not at all. But I think it would be better if it came from him instead of me.”

“Evan Buckley, you just stated you threatened to kill Chase Mackey. Could you please tell me why?” Hastings asks now.

Buck doesn’t sugarcoat it, “We were fighting.”

Hasting asks, “Physically?”

“I started it.” Buck offers up without prompting. “But we were both holding our own when Athena broke it up.”

“Sargent Grant?” Hastings corrects.

Buck confirms, “Yeah, that’s right.”

Hastings asks, “Okay, so I’m going to ask again. What were you two arguing about?”

Buck sighs, “It was about what we’d already told Sargent Grant. Mackey had put in a tip to Child Protective Services, and part of it stated that my partner Eddie was abusive towards our son.”

Buck takes a breath, then continues, “Mackey was trying to ruin our lives. Again. He said I was an unfit father to a ‘crippled kid’, so I hit him.” Buck knows how that sounds, so he adds, “But I didn’t kill the guy.”

Hastings just follows protocol, “I have to ask this next question. Where were you last night at 8:45 P.M.?”

Buck thinks it’s an odd time to ask, but then immediately gets it, “That was when…?”

Hastings nods, “That’s the time Chase Mackey was shot.”

It’s clear that knowledge has Buck rattled, as he struggles to answer, “I don’t remember exactly where I was. I know I was reading a book in the loft of the fire station.”

“What book?”

“A Perfect Storm.”

“And from there?”

“I never left the station. I was on the clock.”

“Were you by yourself?”

“Only technically.”

“Did anyone see you?”

“I...might’ve talked to one of my team members...”

“Mr. Buckley, do you own or have access to a firearm?”

“No.” Buck says immediately, then backtracks, “I mean...”

“You mean...”

“I know people that--”

“Mr. Buckley, did you have a gun in your possession last night?”

“No. I didn’t kill Mackey.” Buck insists. “I swear I didn’t.”

Hasting nods, “Okay. That’s it for now.”, makes a note, then turns off his recorder. “Thank you. You saved this whole department a lot of phone calls. I’m sure your partner told you I’m interviewing everyone that was around the scene of the crime last night.”

That’s news to Buck, “You talked to Eddie? He was in here?”

Hasting nods, “I did.”

Buck looks down at his feet, “No, I didn’t know that.”, then quickly stands up, almost turns to leave, then adds,

“I told you the truth. You believe me, right?”

Hastings goes for the honest answer, “Mr. Buckley, right now everyone is a suspect.”

Buck nods in resignation, then walks out.

"We both know Mackey didn’t deserve to die.” Athena tells Bobby over the phone. “But we both know he made a lot of enemies. And the way he took advantage of Buck...”

“ _Do you think that’s why Buck decided to talk to the cops?_ ”

Athena reminds him, “As I’ve already said, I’ll let Buck tell you that himself.”

Athena hears the sigh, then, “ _Then I guess we can’t deny Buck had a very strong motive._ ”

“It wasn’t just him, either.” Athena’s quick to point out. “I’ve wasted so many pointless hours in a courtroom because of him. Something tells me Buck wasn’t the only one he was raking over the coals.”

_“Are you talking about former clients, or just people in LA?"_

Athena replies, “I don’t know, and right now I don’t care. I’m just glad he won’t be darkening Buck’s or anyone else’s doorstep again.”


	8. The Pre Party Talk

“You know Athena was right, don’t you?” Bobby asks Buck, as they’re both helping cook a big meal for Chris’ welcome home dinner.

“You did the right thing going to the cops right away, telling them what happened with Mackey.”

Buck doesn’t fully buy that, “I was in a stuffy room, and they recorded everything I said.”

“That’s their job, Buck. Everyone involved in the case is going to be interviewed.”

Buck reminds Bobby, “But not everyone involved in the case threatened to kill him.”

Bobby knows to not let Buck think like that, “Mackey was blackmailing you too! You two didn’t see eye to eye, and it only escalated, and by the time--”

“‘Didn’t see eye to eye?’” Buck gives a halfhearted laugh. “I straight up hated him. I’m glad he’s dead.”

Bobby makes Buck look at him, “I know for a fact you don’t mean that. It’s not in you to hate someone like that.”

“You wanna bet?” Buck snaps. “He said I was an unfit father, and was going to use my kid as leverage to get me to do what he wanted. If Athena hadn’t stopped me right when she did, there’s a good chance I would’ve beaten him to death, instead of...” Buck trails off, catching himself.

“Instead of...what?” Bobby pushes gently, and at the desperate look in Buck’s eyes, pushes harder, “Is there something you know that you’re trying to tell me?”

“Eddie?” Hen calls out, upon seeing the man in question walk past her. “Are you okay? You look like hell.”

Eddie stops, admitting, “Yeah, I basically am in hell.”

All Buck can see is him pulling the gun out of the duffle bag, and what Eddie was planning to to with it, so when Bobby calls out,

“Buck?”, it helps to pull him back to the present.

Once Bobby sees Buck’s listening, he reminds Buck, “You know there’s nothing you can’t tell me, right?”

“He collapsed right here.” Eddie gestures next to them. “Are you okay with being here?”

“Eddie, I deal with this stuff for a living.” Chim waves off the concern. “However, I have noticed you’re more than just a little agitated.”

Eddie’s still stuck on when he walked into the locker room, and found Buck holding the gun, and doesn’t reply.

“Eddie. Eddie!” Chim tries to get his attention again, but Eddie ignores him.

“Okay. We got time before this is finished.” Bobby tells Buck.

_“You were actually going to shoot Mackey, weren’t you?” “Yes.”_

“I just feel so guilty.” Buck finally manages to say.

Bobby asks, confused, "Guilty? About what?"

Buck can’t believe he has to remind Bobby, “I already told you. Mackey is dead, and all I can feel right now is relieved.”, but then, he shakes his head.

“No, it’s more than that. I’m glad he’s dead.”

“Did you know someone on Athena’s team called me in for questioning?” Eddie tells Chim, once he finally manages to look at him again.

Chim’s intrigued, but not surprised, “Did they? How’d it go?”

Eddie comes clean, “Well the day before, we told Hen about how Mackey was pushing the CPS case.”

Chim nods, “True, but he had a lot of enemies. The cops will most likely go through all of them.”

Eddie agrees, “Yeah. And, plus, the whole case has officially been dropped now that there’s no solid evidence to take it to court, and no Mackey to push it. Which is good. You know? One good thing to come out of all this.”

Chim’s quick to agree, “I’m fairly confident it won’t be long before it’ll almost be like it never happened.”

“Mackey was trying to manipulate you into reopening your lawsuit, and used Chris to keep you in line. Why shouldn’t you be relieved you don’t have to worry about that anymore?”

Buck covers, “I didn’t only say I’m relieved. I said I’m glad he’s dead. I don’t think I’ve ever said that about anyone, ever.”

“You knew he was out for blood, Buck.” Bobby tries to make Buck see, but then, Bobby’s phone rings.

“If there’s one thing I am sorry for, it’s how unfairly you’re going to be treated for a while.” Buck comments, then gets up to walk to the dining room.

“I should go grab Eddie, so we can get everything done twice as fast before tonight.”

But to show he means it, Buck grabs Bobby in a hug. “Thanks for the talk. Helped to cut through all the craziness.”

With that, Buck walks away.

Eddie’s just sitting on the couch when Buck walks through the front door, greeting him, “Hey.”

“Hey.”, Buck replies, then asks, “You took the gun back, right?”

Eddie sets the duffle bag down, standing up. “Well, I was on my way to the pawn shop, then a cop stopped me right outside the door, before I could even get to my car.”

Buck thought he was freaked before, but that’s nothing compared to now 

“Okay, I knew you were questioned, but you were questioned _while you still had the gun?_ ” Buck screeches.

Eddie quickly assures him, “Nobody found it. No one knew I had it on me.”

Buck puts both hands behind his head, then asks quickly, “But you did return the gun, right?”

Eddie nods, “I did. It’s back where I found it.”

“And nobody saw you?” Buck keeps pushing, much to Eddie’s exasperation.

“No. Not even the guy behind the counter.”

Buck sighs in relief, but Eddie gets his attention, “Buck.”

Buck meets Eddie’s eyes, and Eddie tells him, “If the cops were asking me, it’s a guarantee you’re gonna get called in too.”

Now it’s Buck’s turn to confess, “Actually, I already did. On my own.”

Now Eddie’s the one that looks worried, “Buck, why would you do that?”

Buck keeps going, “I thought it would be better if they heard straight from my own mouth that I threatened to kill Mackey.”

And that, finally, is just too much, and Eddie has to sit back down.

Buck takes this moment to grab a bottle of water, then sit down next to Eddie. “It’s radio silent over here.”

Eddie looks at Buck, shaking his head, before asking, “I’m just trying to wrap my head around why would any sane person would go straight to the cops and tell them they threatened to kill someone that wound up dead a few hours later.”

Buck reminds him, “Athena’s the one that broke up the fight. She heard me threaten Mackey.”

That makes more sense, “So Athena talked you into going to the cops?”

Buck nods, but that’s not so reassuring to Eddie. “Buck, she is a cop.”

Buck replies, “I am well aware of that. And she’s going to be questioned too. She’ll have to tell them what she heard me say.”

Eddie sighs, running a hand through his hair. “They’re not going to drop this, you know that, right? They’re going to keep pushing.”

Buck asks for what has to be the umpteenth time, “But you put the gun back, right? It’s not on you anymore? They can’t tie it to either of us. They can’t prove anything.”

Eddie takes a moment to put a hand on Buck’s knee, “You’d know I’d do anything to keep you and Chris safe, right?”

Buck replies, “Of course I do. And it goes both ways. That’s why we tied the knot, right?” Buck holds up his left hand, wiggling his ring finger to show off his ring. “Because we would do that.”

“For better or worse.” Eddie says, and that gets Buck to laugh.

“Yeah, this would definitely be in the worse category.”

Eddie grips one of Buck’s hands tightly, “You, me and Chris are going to get through this. Together. I love you both so much.”

Buck will never get tired of hearing it, “I love you too.”

Then Eddie kisses him, and while it starts light, it turns steamy in a matter of seconds, and next thing he knows, Buck’s being put on his back.

What the hell. They can afford to be a little late.

“Hey, Maddie. What did you pull me aside for?” Buck asks, as they talk in the kitchen, away from the rest of the people helping to set up.

Maddie starts casually, “I just wanted to talk. I know we haven’t really talked, since...”

“Since the night Mackey was murdered.” Buck finishes. “You can say it, Mads.” Then he realizes, “Wait, that’s what you want to talk about? Now?”

Maddie nods, “Yeah, I do.”

Buck doesn’t get it, “Why? What else is there to say?”

Maddie doesn’t beat around the bush, “You tell me.”

“Jesus, Chris was exhausted, huh?” Lena Bosko notes, as she helps Eddie put together a couple sandwiches in the living room.

But Eddie’s focused on her, “Seems to me you are too. You didn’t eat, did you?” Eddie holds out a finished sandwich. “Here.”

Lena waves him off, “Nah, it’s alright.”

But Eddie insists, “Just take it. Please?”, then takes one for himself, but before taking a bite, he tells her, “By the way, CPS is bringing over the statement that officially says the case has been dropped.”

But apparently that was the wrong thing to say, as Lena stands up angrily, “Can you just not?”, and walks away, leaving a very confused Eddie behind.

“I don’t know what you want me to say, Maddie.” Buck says, throwing up his hands in confusion.

“Shouldn’t you be getting ready for your CPS trial?” Maddie asks instead.

“It was dropped.” Buck tells her, “They had no evidence, and Mackey was the only one pushing for it.”

“I thought it was guaranteed to go to court.” Maddie asks, confused.

“Nope. Now that it’s been dropped, they want it on the record it’s over and done with, and we agreed. Which is what we were hoping for all along anyway.”

Maddie has no problem admitting, “Then I’m happy for you. How’s Eddie doing?”

Buck replies, not so sure if he’s telling the truth, “Still in shock Mackey’s dead. I mean he was no angel, but he was still an innocent civilian.”

Maddie can agree, “Yeah, a lot of people wouldn’t disagree with that.”

Then, she makes Buck look at her as she asks, “Now tell me how you feel about Mackey being dead.”

“Lena, I’m sorry.” Eddie’s quick to stand, going over to where Lena’s adjusting something. “I wasn’t trying to upset you, honest.”

Lena’s already past it, “Don’t apologize. Look, ever since Mackey...died, it’s like everyone’s been tiptoeing around everyone else, scared to piss everyone off. It’s like I’m going crazy.”

Lens tries to walk past him again, but Eddie won’t let her.

“Okay, I understand.”

“I won’t lie to you, Maddie. It is a huge relief to know Mackey can’t threaten us anymore. But...” Buck looks down, not sure if he wants to say this.

“But what?” Maddie pushes.

What the hell, “When I was pinned under the ladder truck, and then I had that pulmonary embolism...”

“Which is what made you a target for Mackey, let’s not forget that, okay?” Maddie reminds him.

“They gave me something for the pain, something that wouldn’t mess with the blood thinners. And they really messed with my head. And they sent me home with several containers of them. And I thought, it would be so easy to just take them anyway.”

“But you didn’t.” Maddie fills in.

“Well, I remembered Bobby’s alcoholism, and how easy it was for him to fall off the wagon, and all the rehab he had to put himself through just to get clean again, and all the hell he put himself through because of what he wouldn’t forgive himself for. It had to have been the breaking point. I’m glad he got a handle on it before it did him in.”

Here, Buck stops to get his bearings, then says, “You saved me, Maddie.”

Maddie’s both touched and confused, “Not too sure what you mean by that.”

Buck doesn’t hold back, “If I didn't have you to think about during the lawsuit, who knows how much worse off I would've been. What kind of person I’d be today. I owe you, Mads. So much."

Maddie’s quick to change the subject, having been raised to be uncomfortable around genuine sentiments, “I know Mackey was no doubt dealt a lousy hand to get where he was, but that doesn’t excuse the fact that he did it.”

Buck sighs, “I know, I know.”

Maddie is adamant, “Don’t forget that for even a second, okay? Mackey was a cruel bastard.”

Buck doesn’t like the sound of that, “Maddie, are you actually suggesting Mackey got his just desserts?”

Maddie shakes her head, “I’m not saying there’s any justification for why a person has to die like that, I’m just saying it doesn’t surprise me.”

That definitely surprises Buck, “It doesn’t?”

Maddie confirms, “Not at all. You saw what a bastard he was when he was on your side. He had a talent for exploiting people’s weaknesses for his own personal gain. Guess someone decided they’d had enough.”

Buck’s already waving it off, “I don’t think we should stick around much longer in here. Gotta help the rest of the gang to finish decorating.”


	9. The Warrant

“Ready to blow out the candles, Chris?” Eddie asks his son, who’s practically bouncing with excitement.

“Yes!” Chris practically shouts, and Eddie wastes no time picking him up and holding Chris close to the candles to do just that.

Chris takes a deep breath, with Buck holding his phone to sna the picture, and when Chris blows, he snaps the photo.

“Be sure to take enough pics for the whole family tree, okay, Buck? Nobody should have to miss this.”

With that, the dinner party has begun. Everyone wants to hug the guest of honor, and he hugs them all back just as hard.

At one point, Eddie pulls Buck aside to tell him,

“Abuela, Tia and Pepa love all the pictures you took for them. They really with they could be here.”

“Visiting family in El Paso is a perfectly good reason for them to miss it. Unlike Athena...”

Eddie asks, “It’s her house. You’d think she’d be here. Did you text her?”

Buck nods, “Yeah, but she never texted back. My hope here is she shows up before we have to take Superman home right as he’s crashing from the sugar high.”

Eddie directs the next question at Bobby, “I guess Athena had some work to take care of?”

Bobby nods, “Yeah, there’s a lot riding on her shoulders.”

Buck and Eddie take that as their cue to move towards the other guests, and find themselves talking to Lena.

“Is it just going to be tradition for someone in the firefam to be late for a big event?” Buck asks jokingly.

Lena, however, doesn’t get it, “Do you think there’s something else going on?”

Eddie notes, “Too bad Abuela’s not here to smooth everything over.”, then kisses Buck on the cheek.

The next morning, Eddie let's Buck wake Chris up in his own bed, for the first time since this whole fiasco started, while Eddie works to put away all of last night’s welcome home gifts everyone gave Chris.

When he hears Buck’s footsteps, Eddie says, “I have to say, everyone really went all out to welcome Chris back home.”

Buck jokes, “Imagine what they’ll do for a going away party.”

Eddie’s eyes widen, “Jesus, I think I just found something scarier than a tsunami.”

They share a laugh, then Eddie wraps his arms around Buck’s waist, while Buck messes with Eddie’s shirt, “It’s so nice to be able to focus on family, isn’t it? Not having to focus on…”

Here, Buck’s hands stop, finishing the thought for Eddie, “Mackey’s murder?”, then grabbing him in a hug.

They stay like that for several minutes, then Eddie’s phone rings, so Eddie pulls away to pick it up.

There’s no way to hide his confusion when he sees the caller ID, or when he answers, “Papa?”

_“Hola, Edmundo. I have something I want to discuss with you.”_

That leaves Eddie even more confused, but just says, “I can go into my bedroom, so we can talk in private.”

“ _No, Edmundo. We need to speak in person. I’m here in Los Angeles. I’ll tell you the hotel I’m staying at. I’ll see you in an hour._ ”

That would’ve been shocking, had Eddie had it in him to feel anything but confused, and he can’t even say so, because his father has already hung up.

Immediately, Buck’s asking, “What the hell was that?”

Eddie explains, still stunned, “My father is in LA, and I have to meet him at his hotel in an hour. And it didn’t sound like backing out was an option.”

Buck, however, is frozen for a moment, and when Eddie shakes him, “Buck?”, he only barely manages to snap out of it.

“You know what? Carla’s gonna be here any minute, so I think once she gets here, I’m just gonna head over to Bobby's, help them with the cleanup.”

Eddie nods, “Sounds like a plan.”

Buck tells him, “Have fun with your dad?”, then kisses Eddie lightly as Eddie walks out the front door.

Once Eddie reaches his father Ramon’s hotel room, Ramon doesn’t even bother with a greeting, “I apologize for rushing you, but what I’m here to talk about is time sensitive. I’ve been following your career as a firefighter. I have to say, you’ve definitely proven me wrong.”

Eddie’s not to sure where this is coming from, but still says, “Uh...gracias?”

“I think it’s time you started aiming higher.”

The second Buck steps inside the house, Bobby greets him, “Buck! Where’s Chris?”

Buck replies, while walking towards the living room, “Superman is hanging his cape up for the day. Didn’t want him too far away from home, not for a few days at least. Uh, where’s Athena?”

Bobby looks around, “She...had to step out.”

Buck raises an eyebrow, “Really? She said if I stopped by to help with the cleanup, she had a gift she never got to give Chris last night.”

Bobby quickly covers, “You know Athena. If she’s not on the clock, he has no concept of time.”

Buck still doesn’t quite buy it, “She texted me an hour ago. And that's not like her at all.”

“I wouldn’t worry, Buck. Something unexpected probably came up.”

Buck doesn’t even bother playing nice, “It feels like everyone's keeping secrets from me again. Are you, after everything?”

Bobby sighs, “Athena's at the police station. She’s being questioned about the night of Mackey’s murder. Again.”

Eddie’s already shaking his head, “Papa, I appreciate you saying that, but I’m okay with where I’m at right now. I love working at the 118. I have a pretty good life too. I just got married, and Buck even adopted Chris as his own son. I love it.”

But Ramon is adamant, “I know you want to believe everything is good right now, but I really don’t think you can refuse what I’ve dug up for you.”

Then Ramon hands him some papers, which Eddie takes, if only to get a better look.

“Buck, I really don’t think you have anything to worry about. All they’re doing is interviewing her. They're not going to charge her with anything.”

But something else is nagging at Buck, “But why is he even a suspect?”, but then it hits him, “It’s because of me. Mackey went after you, the whole team and even your wife,, with the stuff I told you, so they thought...”

Bobby cuts Buck off with a tight hug, pointing a finger in Buck's face. “Do not blame yourself, Buck. That’s not going to help anyone now.”

Buck nods, “I know, I know. I was going to...help you clean up, but now that there’s nothing to clean up...”

Bobby encourages, “Go out. Maybe it’ll do you some good. Take your mind off of everything. And I’ll see if I can find Athena's present.”

Bobby steps out of the room to do so, but accidentally leaves his phone behind, so when Buck’s sure he’s not about to come back in, he sneaks a look.

 **_Athena:_ ** _Search warrant has just been issued for the murder weapon._

Once Eddie finishes looking over the papers, Eddie turns to Ramon, “You want me to join firehouse 126 in Austin, Texas?”

Ramon adds, “Austin is a very open minded city. And the 126 has a very diverse team.”

Eddie’s still not entirely convinced, “Papa, I really don’t understand why...”

“This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Now and again, things tend to work out in your favor. So why not enjoy it?”

Buck sets the phone down quickly, but when it rings again, he can’t resist the need to read that text too.

 **_Athena:_ ** _Searching pawn shop._

“No, no no.” Buck shakes his head, desperate to deny it, and when Bobby shows up, gift in hand, Buck tells him,

“You know what? I really need to go. I’ll take this with me.” Buck takes the gift, and heads for the door.

Bobby calls to him, “Buck, wait.”, and once he stops, Bobby tells him. “I saw what Mackey blackmailing you did to both you and Eddie. I know you were scared Eddie was going to be arrested for something that happened at a low point in his life.”

Buck has no time for this, “Eddie was streetfighting, Bobby, and you lied to Athena about it for the longest time.”

“Buck, at this point that was a long time ago. And if you thought telling the other cops on the case about it would help, you’d be wrong.”

Buck tells her, “I know you care, Bobby. You’ve stood by all of us so many times, I lost count. But right now, I really need to leave.”

When there’s a knock on the hotel room door, Ramon goes to answer it, only to find a cop on the other side,

“Mr. Diaz, it’s my duty to tell you I have a search warrant for your hotel room.”

Ramon just takes it, then moves to let them inside.

Eddie, however, is grabbing his phone and dialing,

“Come on, Buck, now’s the one time I really need you to pick up the phone.”

The cop goes right to the bed, looking underneath, and pulling out a very familiar box with his gloved hands, and lifts the lid, along with the fake bottom revealing the gun they were looking for.

Ramon asks, “I assume that’s what you were looking for?”

The cop doesn’t reply, just slips the gun into an evidence bag and walks back out the door.

“Buck, I’m begging you. I need to talk to you right now.” and when Buck still doesn’t pick up, Eddie goes for the door.

“Papa, I have to go. I need to find Buck.”

Ramon gets up in his face, “I want to be perfectly clear about something. Next time you kill someone, do not use a gun I gave you to do it.”

When Athena walks into the station, it’s buzzing with excitement over the muder weapon.

But the man standing at her desk is what grabs her attention first, “Buck? What are you doing here?”

For a moment, Buck can’t say anything, still unable to believe it’s come to this point, but he knows he has no choice. The truth has to come out.

“I killed Chase Mackey.”


	10. The Confession

“Papa, I’m not sure I know what you’re talking about.” Eddie asks, confused.

Ramon replies, disgusted, “You really think I didn’t know? You wanted that sleazy lawyer dead, but you didn’t have to use a gun I gave you to do it!”

Eddie doesn’t reply, now knowing the real reason his father’s here.

“I killed Chase Mackey.”

“Don’t say another word.” Athena orders the second it’s out of Buck’s mouth, then picks up her phone, punches a few numbers, then says, “I need Officer Hastings in the interrogation room immediately.”, and hangs up.

That done, Athena looks at Buck again. “You’d better get yourself a lawyer.”

Buck’s already shaking his head, “No, I don’t want--”

Athena cuts him off, “No, Buck, you have to know--”

“Having a lawyer defend me isn’t going to change the fact that I killed Chase Mackey.”

“Don’t you dare look at me like that.” Ramon snaps. “That man had a daughter, but it’s plain as day he was no sweetheart. I understand someone had to put him in his place, and that you had a gun collection from me.”

Eddie asks, surprised, “You knew I used your gun?”

Ramon replies, “Not until I heard Mr. Mackey was shot. You should know better than to use a family heirloom. And don’t think that when I got it from the pawn shop, I didn’t notice the three bullets missing. Least they didn’t go to waste.”

“You can’t force me to call a lawyer.” Buck says firmly.

“Now is not the time to be reckless, and you know it.” Athena snaps, eyes hard.

“Reckless about what?” Officer Hastings asks, upon entering the interrogation room.

“Buck, I’m not letting you do this.” Athena says authoritatively.

“That’s not your call.” Buck waves her off.

“Do we have a problem?” Hastings asks, looking at both of them.

Buck tells him before he can be cut off again, “I shot Chase Mackey. I want to confess.”

“Buck, I thought I told you to to be quiet.” Athena snaps. “Not another damn word.”

Then she tells Hastings, “He refuses to call a lawyer.”

Hastings wastes no time, “Then we need to read him his rights. You have the right to remain silent. Everything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have a right to an attorney, and to have an attorney present during questioning. If you can’t afford an attorney at this time, one will be appointed for you.”

“This is why you were pushing me to move to Austin, wasn’t it?” Eddie accuses, now pissed. “You were trying to get me protection?”

“Protection from the police and your own idiocy.” Ramon replies.

Eddie nods, “Gracias.”

“The opening is still there. I can get you, your husband and Chris on a flight tonight.”

Eddie visibly flinches hearing that, “What?”

“There’s no time, Edmundo. If you’d used any other gun but the one you did, we wouldn’t be here. It’s not just a family heirloom, it’s a collector’s item. It won’t be long before ballistics ties it to the crime. I threw them off for the time being, but the LAPD is too smart to miss this.”

Eddie’s not even listening anymore, as he walks towards the door, “I have to find Buck.”

Ramon stops him, “I’ll get him to catch up with you, but right now you need to leave.”

Eddie only takes a second before he’s back to moving, “I have to get the hell out of here.”

“Oh Dios Mio.” Ramon says behind him, which gets Eddie to stop. “You didn’t do it, did you? It was Buck.”

“Do you understand your rights?” Hastings asks Buck, who nods.

“I do. But there’s one thing I want to make abundantly clear before I tell you everything. Nobody can know I’m here.”

Athena tries to knock some sense into Buck, “Buck, you need to stop.”

“I’m a legal adult well over 21. This is no one’s business but my own. I have a right to privacy.”

“He’s right, Athena. You’ve already done what you can.” Hastings tells her, then gestures to the table. “Please, take a seat.”

Seeing she has no choice, she sits at one of the chairs, while Hastings takes the other, turning on the tape recorder.

“Please state your name and that you’re willingly, without coercion, waiving your rights to an attorney.”

Buck clears his throat, then states, “My name is Evan Buckley, and I’m waiving my rights to an attorney.”

Athena makes it a point to remind Buck, “You’ll still need one when you enter a plea.”

Buck waves it off, “All I care about is telling you about what really happened that night.”

Hastings is quick to say, “You’ve already given a statement saying you’re innocent. That you didn’t shoot Chase Mackey.”

Buck sighs, “I was lying. Now I want to tell the truth.”

Athena asks, “Why now?”

Buck decides to be as honest as he can here, “Because it feels like I’ve been living a lie my whole life, and I’m sick of it. Maybe I just want to stop letting everyone else clean up my messes for me.”

Athena hates how sincere he sounds, but she knows she has to do her duty as a cop,

“Alright. Start from the beginning.”

But Buck still isn’t satisfied, “Before I say or do anything else, I want to make it abundantly clear, on record, that I did this completely on my own. I didn’t have a partner. Nobody knew I took that gun and used it on Chase Mackey. No. One.”

“I’m right, aren’t I?” Ramon pushes. “Buck shot Chase Mackey.”

Eddie can barely focus on what his father is saying, but still manages to say, “Look, Papa, thank you for what you tried to do. Words cannot describe how much that means to me--”

“Edmundo, just tell me what happened.” Ramon demands. “I have to know everything.”

“Te amo, Papa, but I really have to go.” Eddie says, before storming out the door.

“Edmundo, you have to leave tonight or--” But Ramon never has the chance to finish, as Eddie keeps moving further and further away.

“It was so hard. Mackey just kept pushing and pushing, and he wouldn’t stop until I’d reopened my lawsuit, took the money, and made sure I’d never see my son again so I wouldn’t back out again. We were paralyzed, and he knew it.” This much is true, anyone can see that, which is what Buck’s counting on.

“We?” Athena asks.

“Eddie and me. He was worse than me. And one day...” Buck sighs, before going on, “He came home with a gun that he’d stolen from a pawn shop. Said his dad gave it to him as a gift, and he’d sold it when he moved to LA, and knew it was there.”

“Ramon.” Athena tells Hastings.

“I told him he was insane.” Buck goes on, “That he couldn’t do something like this, and he came around once I made him see that. So we put the gun in his locker at the fire station until we could sneak it back to the pawn shop before anyone knew it was gone.”

Buck makes sure to emphasize this next part, “And as far as Eddie knows, that was where the gun was until the murder happened. Me and Eddie both tried to stay...rational about the whole thing. But then we got the call about CPS getting an anonymous tip that gave them reason to believe Eddie was being abusive towards our son.”

Buck shakes his head, “It was like getting pinned by a ladder truck all over again. It was our worst nightmare come true. Me, my family, my captain, they all told me to calm down, that there was no reason why it had to be taken to court. There would be a small investigation, and when they found no real evidence, the case would be dropped. But that night, I found out that it was going to be taken to court anyway. There was apparently enough evidence to warrant it. Mackey was pushing it the whole time, and that...” Buck has to pause, voice breaking as he says, “Bastard, who’d thrown my entire team under the bus, who didn’t care about who he hurt or what ugly secrets he exploited, as long as he got money, he was going to have final say over what happened to my son.”

“So you were completely convinced Mackey was going to take Chris away from you.” Athena summarizes.

Buck needs them to understand, “He said I was an unfit father for a crippled kid. He thought he had any right to make that kind of decision. Well...” Buck takes a breath. “Nope. So I went back to Eddie’s locker, grabbed the gun. I lied to you about reading in the loft when we got the call Mackey was shot. I took the gun, put on the silencer, I went to the park, and shot Chase Mackey.”

Hastings asks, “Was the gun on you when you showed up with your team?”

Buck shakes his head, “No. I hid it in the park. I uh...got it back after me and Eddie left the hospital. I wiped it down, took the silencer off, I put it back in my duffle bag, and then Eddie took it back to the pawn shop. He had no clue.”

Athena lifts an eyebrow, “You kept this from him, just like you kept this from us. You could’ve gotten away with it, actually. Instead you apparently changed your mind and came here to confess. And I think we’d both like to know why.”

Eddie frantically knocks on Bobby’s door, and when he answers, Eddie wastes no time asking, “Hey, have you seen Buck? He’s not here?”

Bobby tells him, confused, “He was here not too long ago to grab a gift. Said he had somewhere he had to be.”

“Did he say where?” Eddie asks quickly.

Bobby shakes his head, “No, he didn’t. Eddie, are you okay?”

Eddie plays dumb, “What do you mean?”, but then his phone rings, and steps away to take it.

“You have no idea what any of this has been like. It’s horrible.” Buck can’t even look them in the eye. “I killed the lawyer I hired.” Then Buck looks at them, “Now I have to live with that for the rest of my life. I didn’t really have a choice except to come here and confess everything.”

“ _Where are you? I’m calling you an Uber to take you to the airport._ ”

Eddie groans, “I can’t. I’ve been looking for Buck everywhere and can’t find him.”

_“I’ll find him and handle everything. But right now, you have to leave.”_

“You’d do well to remember that’s my husband you’re talking about. You know as well as me I’m not going anywhere without him.” Eddie snaps.

There’s a sigh on the other line, then, “ _I know where he is._ ”

That throws Eddie, “What?”

“ _I did some digging. He’s at the police station._ ”

“Why the hell did you wait to tell me that?” Eddie yells, then hangs up angrily.

As he walks towards his car, he can’t stop from saying out loud, “No, no no. Buck.”

“So just to confirm, you acted on your own, and nobody knew.” Hastings says.

“I already said that.” Buck quips, “And no one else has to know until I enter my plea. Which is our agreement.”

“Right.” Hastings confirms, then looks at Athena. “What do you think?”

Athena takes a moment to turn the recorder off, then tells Hastings, hoping it’ll scare Buck, “We might have to hold him overnight.”

It doesn’t scare Buck, but it does confuse him, “You’re not arresting me?”

“Not tonight, we aren’t.” Athena replies in confirmation. “We’ll be arresting you tomorrow. If we try tonight, it’ll go viral before we can even get you in front of a judge.”

Buck thinks on it, then confirms, “Oh. You’re right, I don’t want that.”

But then they hear outside,

“Sir, you can’t go in there.”

“You can’t keep me out, you have my husband in there.”

Buck’s head immediately snaps back to Athena, accusing, “You lied to me!”

Athena denies, “No, I didn’t. I have no idea how he found out, Buck.”

“I have a lawyer. I have every right to be in there with my husband!”

Athena leans in to whisper to Hastings, “Let’s take a few minutes for a break.”

As they stand, Athena pats Buck on the shoulder, who currently has his face buried in his hands.

When the door opens, Eddie walks through it, demanding, “What the hell is he doing here?”

Athena almost tells him, but thinks better of it. If anyone can get through to Buck, it’s Eddie.

“Buck can tell you himself.” is all she says, then leaves the room with Hastings.

The second they’re gone, with the door shut, Eddie focuses on the man in the chair, walks right up to the table, grabbing it for balance, “Dios mio, Buck.”

Buck doesn’t react, but Eddie’s not letting him get away with that, “Buck.”

Buck does turn to look this time, and right now, Eddie’s got him more scared than confessing, especially when Eddie enunciates,

“What. Did you. Do?”


	11. The Statement

“You actually confessed?” Eddie asks, as Buck stands up to put his hands on Eddie’s shoulders.

Buck focuses on making Eddie look at him, as he says, “I swore to them you had nothing to do with it.”

Eddie can’t stop shaking his head, unable to make any sense of it, “Buck, why would you do that?”

But Buck has to make him understand, “I had to tell them about the gun. But all they know is you took it, and brought it back to the pawn shop you stole it from.”

Eddie can’t even think about that right now, “Buck, you can’t do this. I’m not letting you do this.”

Buck’s just as stubborn, “What I can’t do is let everyone else take the fall for my mistakes. You all paid the price for what I did. Since I started at the 118, all of you have worked so hard to assure me you will always be there in a way mine and Maddie’s parents never were, and that we’d never have to worry about splitting up. That’s how it’s always been, and Eddie, right now, I have to do this for my own peace of mind. I can’t keep letting people bail me out.”

Buck reaches up to grip a hand on Eddie’s neck, “Tell me you understand.”

“Got the report on the gun.” Athena tells hastings, as she looks it over. “It’s not a perfect match for the bullet we tested.”

“Not yet.” Hastings notes.

“There’s a good chance Eddie’s father did something to the gun.” Athena theorizes. “Right before we confiscated it.”

Then something clicks, “When I saw the initial report, it linked this bullet to a very rare model, one Eddie once mentioned to me about previously being given as a gift from his father. Looks like the lab’s going to need to keep testing.”

“You really think Ramon did something to his own family’s gun?” Hastings asks.

“He definitely knew we’d come for him once we knew he bought it from the pawn shop.” Athena informs Hastings. 

“That would mean he knows Mr. Buckley killed Mackey.”

Athena asks, surprised, “Do we?”

“We have the recorded confession on tape.” Hastings reminds her.

Athena nods, “You’re right. We do.”

Eddie pushes himself away from Buck, mind made up, “I’m talking to Athena.”

But Buck can’t let him do that, pulling him away from the door as he says, “No, absolutely not. They already know everything.”, then has to tell Eddie,

“In the morning, they’re going to arrest me, and this whole thing will finally be over for good. For all of us.”

“No it’s not!” Eddie insists. “This is going to just be the start.”

Buck flinches, and Eddie just uses that to plead, “How exactly am I supposed to do this without you, huh? Can you explain that to me? Because that’s exactly how I’m going to have to explain it to Chris, when I tell him his Papa, his Bucky, isn’t coming home.”

Eddie can tell he’s hit a nerve, but it’s still not enough, when Buck replies, “You’re his father first and foremost. And I will know you’ll always be there looking out for him, now that I can’t.”

Buck looks like he wants to say more, especially when he sees Eddie’s seconds away from breaking down, both of them clinging to each other.

But the moment’s broken when they hear, “Buck?”, and when they look, Athena’s back in the room.

“It’s time.”

Buck nods at her, but Eddie’s refusing to let go, “Buck, por favor. Don’t. I’m begging you.”

Buck argues, “I’m begging you to not make this worse than it already is.”

Eddie states, “I’m calling a lawyer, so we can figure this out.”

“No you’re not!” Buck almost yells, needing Eddie to respect his wishes.

“Yes. This is insane, and you need help. Serious help.” Eddie’s practically in tears as he begs Buck to see reason.

Too bad Buck’s not listening, “A lawyer is just going to make it worse. They’d just make me do stuff I don’t want to, and drag this whole thing out, make this way harder than it needs to.”

Eddie opens his mouth to argue, but Buck puts a hand on Eddie’s shoulder, to emphasize,

“Now if you really love me, the way I love you, you will promise me right here and now.”

There’s so many things Eddie wants to say to that, no way in hell, when hell freezes over, not in a million years, but it’s starting to sink in that Buck’s not about to be dissuaded.

If he wants Buck to back down, Eddie needs to wait until he has backup to knock some sense into his stupid husband’s head.

“Okay.” Eddie says brokenly, hand on Buck’s face. “I promise. I swear to you.”, and pulls Buck in for a tight hug.

Buck gives Eddie a peck on the cheek and hugs back just as tightly, letting it last as long as humanly possible.

Then, when Buck can’t hold it any longer, he pulls away to give Eddie one last kiss, then pulls away, taking as long as possible to finally let go before he finally lets Athena take him away, leaving a brokenhearted Eddie behind him.

There’s a knock on Chin and Maddie's door, and when they see Eddie, they let him in, the rest of the fire family already there.

“Got the group message. What’s this about?”

Hen, however, has to point out, “The message was for Buck too. Where is he?”

It hits him like a semi when Eddie realizes that nobody else knows what’s going on, and now he gets to be the one to tell everyone else.

Shit.

Athena’s looking over the crime scene photos when Hastings comes in. “Are you ready for what you have to do?”

Athena shakes her head, as she looks at one particular photo, “How exactly do you prepare yourself to arrest someone who’s like an adopted son?”

Hastings nods in understanding, “That’s why you keep going over the case file, right? It doesn’t even matter what Mr. Buckley says, you’ll never believe he killed Chase Mackey.”

Officer brings Buck in handcuffs to another interrogation room, making Buck ask,

“Why are you bringing me back in here? I killed Chase Mackey. I thought I was supposed to be put in front of a judge.”

Lee explains, while undoing the handcuffs, “I’m just following orders, and I was told to bring you in here. Take a seat.”. then walks out, shutting the door behind him.

All that does is make Buck start mildly freaking out, at once again having this dragged out longer than it needs to be.

“You actually think his confession checks out?” Athena asks Hastings.

Hastings shrugs, “He had means and opportunity, and we can all see he definitely had the motive.”

“No thanks to Mackey himself.” Athena says bitterly, then sets the crime scene photo down, standing up. “You’re right. I just need to get it over with.”

With that, Athena walks out of her office, Hastings following right behind her.

“You haven’t talked to Buck at all?” Eddie asks them, although from the confused looks he gets in response, he knows they haven’t. “When I got the group text for everyone to meet up here, I thought...”

“None of us have heard from Buck.” Maddie tells him, still confused. “I thought we should all compare notes on the night Mackey was murdered.”

Hen pipes up from the table, “It’s more important than ever we figure out who did it.”

Chim adds, “Athena might be off the hook, but that’s just because someone else popped up on their radar.”

Eddie’s head pops up immediately upon hearing that, and Maddie notices,

“What is it?” 

Hen agrees, “You have that look on your face. Like you know something we don’t. And not in a good way.”

Eddie tries to wave it off, “I’m exhausted. Barely got any sleep last night. If any.”

That worries Maddie enough to ask, “Why? Is it Buck? Did something happen we need to know about?”

Great. Eddie takes a breath, then says honestly, “He made me promise to not say anything, okay?”

That has both Hen and Chim standing up, and everyone’s suddenly talking at once.

“Hell no!”

“That’s not even remotely okay.”

“We need to know. Now. What’s going on?” This comes from Maddie, and it’s clear she’s not taking no for an answer.

Buck’s starting to go stir crazy from being stuck in this damned room, but he forces himself to not think about it.

Instead, he thinks back to his and Eddie’s wedding, the moment they’d placed their rings on each other’s fingers, the same ring he’s wearing now.

“For better or worse.” Buck mumbles under his breath, right as Athena and Hastings come into the room with a piece of paper, slapping it on the table and sliding it over to Buck.

Buck doesn’t even look at it, “What is it?”

“It’s last night’s statement.” Athena tells him.

“Okay...” Buck’s not too sure why he needs to know that, but then Hastings clears that up,

“Evan Buckley, you are under arrest for the murder of Chase Mackey.”

“Eddie, you can’t hold out on us.” Maddie insists gently. “If there’s something you need to know, you need to tell us.”

He’s right, and Eddie knows it, so he has no issue whatsoever telling them,

“Buck confessed.”

Their reactions are instantaneous, mouths dropping open and saying things like, “Oh my God.” and “No way in hell.”

Eddie goes on, desperate to get it off his chest, “He told Athena he was the one that shot Chase Mackey.”

“No. He didn’t.” Maddie refuses to believe it. “Eddie, please tell me he didn’t actually do that. Tell me he didn’t go there alone, or at the least had a lawyer present.”

“Jesus. He’s down there by himself.” Maddie's still shaking her head. “I have to call Athena.”, and starts to walk away.

Chim stops her before she can take another step, Eddie fighting to stay calm as Chim says, “No, you need to wait here.”

Maddie is aghast, “You want to wait here? Buck, our Buck, is down there saying who knows what to who knows who. I’ll bet anything it was a coerced confession. We have to go down there.”

“Maddie, stop. You need to wait here.”

Buck picks up the paper, “So I just sign this, and it’s done?”

Athena, however, has something else in mind, “You’re going to read every single word of that, every punctuation mark. And if you still think it’s accurate, I’ll let you sign and date it.”

Buck knows exactly what Athena’s doing, giving him every opportunity to back out, to recant his confession, but he just meets her look with the same fierceness, and says,

“Better get started then, huh?”

At this, Hastings says to Athena, “I have to go speak to the DA. But just so you know, I don’t like this any more than you do.”

Then he steps out, leaving Athena to watch Buck’s every move as he reads his statement.


	12. The Counsel

“We’re wasting time just waiting around here, and you know it.” Maddie tries to argue again, but Hen and Chim hold firm.

“Sorry, Mads, but we can’t just let you go barging in there like a maniac banging down the doors. At least not until we know exactly what happened.”

At that, they all turn to Eddie to ask, “What exactly did Buck do?”

Eddie has no time to repeat himself, “I told you, he talked to the cops.”

Hen shakes her head, “No, we need to know when.”

Eddie replies, “Last night.”

That sets Maddie off over again, “Last night?! He didn’t think to tell us what he was planning?”

Chim asks, “What exactly did Buck go down there to confess to?”

Eddie recalls, “That he shot Mackey, and he used my father’s gun.”

Hen demands, “How the hell did he get his hands on your father’s gun?”

He knows he’s going to be put on blast for this, but he just forces himself to say, “Because I-I stole it back from the pawn shop I sold it to.”

Now Maddie’s pissed, “You gave my brother a gun?!”

Eddie quickly denies, “No! If anything, I was planning to use it.”

Maddie steps away, shaking her head, “You’re both insane.”

Eddie has to make them understand, “Mackey was this close to convincing Buck to reopen his lawsuit, and get us all fired! What the hell was I supposed to do? I sure as hell didn’t know! And Buck, our Buck, was the one that talked me down from using it to shoot Mackey to begin with, because it would just make everything worse. So I put it in my locker at the firehouse, and was waiting till just after shift so I could sneak it back to the pawn shop.”

“So that’s where Buck got his hands on it?” Chim asks.

Eddie can’t even reply, just shakes his head in complete shock, so Chim moves on, “Okay, so where is it now?”

Eddie sighs, “I snuck it back into the pawn shop, after Mackey was confirmed dead. I really thought everything would be okay. And then the cops showed up at my father’s hotel room with a warrant, and searched the whole room.”

“Are you telling me the cops have the gun?”

Maddie’s doesn’t now what to make of any of this, “I can’t believe this. I really can’t.”

Hen asks, completely authoritative now, “Is there anything else you want to share with us, now that you’ve dropped this huge bomb on us?”

Eddie has to stop to massage his temple with one hand, but when Hen prompts him again, “Eddie?”, Eddie just says,

“Buck is hell bent on taking responsibility for all of it. He said you guys have spent way too much time picking up all his slack, and he never wants to put you through that again.”

Maddie replies angrily, “Well I’m going to knock some serious sense into my brother the second I get my hands on him, because that’s complete bullshit.”

Eddie’s quick to offer, “I’ll drive.”

But Maddie's already ordering him, “No, you don’t go anywhere. Please do everyone a favor and get a shower and a change of clothes.”

Eddie argues, “I need to see my husband.”

“I know you do, but I have enough on my plate making sure the rest of the team doesn’t lose their minds.”

Seeing he has no choice, Eddie agrees, “I’ll be right behind you as soon as I can. Please try and get him some help until I get back down there.”

Maddie nods, “I’ll do my best.”

Buck flips to the last page, looks at Athena, who’s still watching him, and asks, “Got a pen?”

Athena’s holding it for that exact purpose, but she still asks, “Is everything in that statement true? Nothing vague?” Athena leans in, “Or withheld?”

Buck nods, looking down at it again, “This is exactly what I said. Verbatim.”

But Athena’s still not ready to hand over the pen yet, “Alright, it’s what you said, but is it what you did?”

Buck sighs, knowing he couldn’t have expected anything less from Athena Grant, but still says, “I know the last thing you want to believe is that I could do something like this. You’re practically my adopted mom.”

That gets her to crack a smile, but it quickly disappears when Buck goes on,

“But everything that’s written on these papers, is exactly what happened.”

Then Buck holds out a hand, “The pen?”

Athena’s face is completely stoic as she sets it on the table, pushing it over to Buck, who takes it, but of course, right when he’s about to sign, he hears.

“Put that pen down. You can’t sign that.”

Buck looks, only to find what only has to be the DA walking in the room, as well as Athena taking the statement out of his reach.

It’s a still very exhausted, but still clean, Eddie that’s sitting on the living room couch, when he gets a knock on the door.

“Daddy! You’re back!” Chris says tiredly, going straight to his room.

Eddie laughs a little as he watches Chris for a moment, then turns to Carla, “He looks pretty out of it.”

Carla nods, “Yep. Say, can you help me unload the car?”

Unfortunately, Eddie can’t, “I can do that later. There’s something I need to talk to you about.”

“Talk to who about what?” comes from outside, and when Eddie looks, he finds Bosko carrying a huge load.

“Oh yeah, you remember Bosko. She ran into us while we were at the playground. What say you help her out?”

After helping Bosko set her load down, both Carla and Bosko can see Eddie’s on edge. “Are you alright?” “Where’s Buck?”

Eddie assures them, “I’ll explain all of that. Let’s finish this up, then I’ll tell you both everything.”

It goes quickly, with all three of them helping put everything away, and finally, Eddie’s out of excuses to stall.

“So what’s going on?” Carla asks first.

Eddie gestures to the couch, “You’re going to want to sit down for this.”

Once Carla and Bosko are seated, Bosko says, “Quit stalling and just tell us.”

Eddie paces back and forth once, then finally just comes right out with it, “Buck isn’t here because he went down to the police station to confess to killing Chase Mackey.”

Both their reactions are like night and day. Carla’s utterly shocked, but Bosko just leans back, looking like she doesn’t know whether to be confused, shocked, or both.

“You’re telling me I can’t sign my own confession?” Buck demands.

The DA confirms, “That’s right.”

Hastings tells Buck, “According to the DA, you weren’t represented by counsel.”

Buck’s already waving it off, “I waived my rights to counsel.”

Hastings tells him, “Trust me, this is to protect you. Theirs too. Last thing they want is to have the whole thing thrown out on a technicality.”

Buck reminds them, “There’s nothing to throw out! I’m pleading guilty.”

Athena, Hastings, and the DA all just stare at Buck, who finally caves, “Fine. Send in a public defender.”

“You don’t need one, because I’m representing you.” another lawyer walks in. “Now if it’s alright with you, I want a moment alone with my client.”

Behind her, Maddie barges right in, grabbing Buck in a tight hug.

“The lawyer we found for him is at the station right now.” Eddie tells Carla and Bosko. “Hopefully she can stop this from getting worse.”

Bosko explodes, “Buck confessed? Exactly what could possibly be worse than that, Diaz?”

Eddie defends himself, “I have no idea. Buck’s doing his own thing, and I couldn’t talk him out of it. But right now, ” Eddie directs this at Carla, “We both need to be strong for Buck, and for Chris.”

Carla nods, so Eddie then tells them, “I’m going back down to the police station.”, then stands up. “Provided he’s still there.”

Bosko demands, “Where the hell else would he be?”

“In front of a judge.”

Bosko can’t stop shaking her head. “Jesus.”

Eddie just says, “I’ll keep you both posted, okay?”, gives Carla a tight hug, then grabs his keys and walks out.

“Athena, why the hell didn’t you call me last night?” Maddie demands, once she lets go of Buck.

Buck jumps to defend Athena, “I asked her not to.”

“We had to respect his wishes. He’s a legal adult.” Athena tells her, then goes to talk to the DA and Hastings.

Buck uses that as an opportunity to say, "I don't want a lawyer.", to the woman behind Maddie.

"Well, you got one anyway." She tells him. “And as the DA just got done telling you, you can’t get through this without one.”

Buck tries to grab the paper again, but this time Maddie snatches it away, getting up in Buck’s face and telling him, “I don’t know what it says on this stupid piece of paper but I’ll tell you right here and now, my ex husband will have to come back from the dead to murder me for real before I ever let you sign it.”

“I need a moment with your brother, if it’s alright with you.” The lawyer, or Sherry, as she’s called, tells Maddie. “You’re acting like someone straight out of a soap opera.”

Seeing she’s telling the truth, Maddie shoves the papers at Sherry, and sits down, while Sherry addresses Buck.

“Now, tell me. What exactly are you doing? You went over to your captain’s house last night, who by the way said you were pretty level headed when he saw you. And now you’re here confessing to murder? What happened between then and now? How’d you get all the way here?”

Buck looks away, then looks at them both, “Because until now, I thought I’d get away with it. But then I saw some text messages from Athena, on Bobby’s phone. The cops had a warrant for the pawn shop and my husband’s father’s hotel room. They were looking for a gun.”

That has Maddie thrown, “What text messages? Bobby didn’t say anything about this.”

“I deleted them.” Buck explains. “I knew they’d find the gun. And that was the gun I used to shoot Mackey. I took my husband’s family heirloom, pointed it right at Mackey, and pulled the trigger." Buck looks from Sherry to Maddie, then back, “First person I’ve ever killed in my life.”


	13. The Plea

Hastings meets Athena back in her office, telling her, “I know how frustrating it is going over that file. Especially when there’s no crack.”

“You’re right.” Athena agrees, looking up from the folder. “Absolutely nothing has changed.”

Then she stands up and leaves, leaving Hastings to wonder what she means.

But then, Edmundo Diaz walks in, and Hastings greets him, “Hello, Mr. Diaz.”

Eddie quickly gets to the point, “There’s a guard on the door where they’re keeping Buck, and they won’t let me inside.”

Hastings shakes his head, “I know how worried you must be, but I’m sure he’s fine. He’s with his sister and a lawyer right now.”

Eddie nods, “I already know that. I’m just trying to find out if Buck’s going to let the lawyer we got defend him.”

Now Hastings has to be the bearer of bad news, “Well, a lawyer might be pointless if he signs the confession.” Seeing the agitated look, Hastings has to go on, “And last I saw, he was very adamant on doing exactly that.”

“Who cares about atoning for past mistakes?” Maddie exclaims. 

Buck retorts, “Do you have any idea how it felt, walking around that damned firehouse convinced everyone, even the man I love, hated me?”

Maddie refuses to listen, “And now you’re making up for it by confessing to something I know damn well you--”

“You and Bobby are so wrapped up in this because you’re still so damned determined to act like you know what’s best for stupid, childish Buck.”

“Hey.” Maddie’s quick to say. “Nobody thinks that of you.”

“Not anymore, they won’t.” Buck replies.

Maddie shakes her head, “Buck, that’s insane!”

Buck refuses to listen, “I said every single word on that paper. The cops know it, and so does the DA. So it doesn’t matter what stall tactics you try, or whatever lawyer powers you try to give me, it doesn’t change a damn thing.”

Buck stops here, to make sure she hears him loud and clear, “It’s over.”

“Like hell.” Maddie snaps.

Bosko finally manages to make it to her apartment, when there’s a knock on the door.

She goes to open it, and upon finding Athena Grant, she stays where she is.

“May I come in?” Athena asks politely.

Bosko tries to excuse, “Um, I haven’t seen hide or hair of Diaz or Buckley, so I don’t think I can help you.”

“I’m not looking for them.” Comes the reply, looking Bosko right in the eyes. “I’m here to talk to you, on official police business.”

Eddie can’t stop pacing back and forth in Athena’s office, and then the door opens, to reveal Bobby, who’s immediately asking,

“Where’s my wife? She told me to come down here.”

Hastings is quick to inform him, “She stepped out for a moment.”

That’s when he realizes Eddie’s here too, and asks, “What’s going on here? Eddie? Why are you here?”

Eddie now knows this is never going to get easier to repeat, no matter how many times he has to tell someone, and having to tell Bobby, the man who practically sees Buck as his own son, just makes it worse.

Bobby sees the looks on Eddie’s face, and looks back to Hastings, demanding, “What? What the hell’s going on here?”

“It’s Buck.”

Sherry goes next, sitting at the desk across from Buck, looking him dead in the eyes as she says,

“You really don’t want to do this. We can still fight it, but not if you give up. Without your confession, the whole case is dropped. We can still beat it even with charges filed, but not if you sign the confession.”

She takes a moment to push the statement over to him, telling Buck, “If you sign it, I can’t help you. You’ll be dead in the water.”

“Come in.” Bosko finally says, making room to let Athena inside.

Once Bosko shuts the door behind her, Athena asks, “Did you just get home?”

Bosko replies, “I just got back from visiting Diaz’s son and his home care aid. Seems like they’re doing really well.”

“I haven’t noticed.” Athena says dryly.

Bosko then asks, “You said you wanted to talk to me on official police business?”

Athena nods, “Bosko, I’m very sorry to tell you this, but Buck just confessed to killing Chase Mackey.”

Instead of a reaction, Bosko just nods slightly, with some surprise, but not nearly as much as you’d expect.

“I know what I’m doing.” Buck tells Sherry.

“Then why the hell are you doing it?” Maddie demands.

“You need to fight this, Mr. Buckley.” Sherry urges. “I have resources, and time.”

Buck waves it all off, “I don’t want a dragged out trial, or any legal hocus pocus. For once, I just want to stand up and say, ‘I messed up, and I’m going to make it right.’”

“Buck, that’s all you’ve ever done!” Maddie exclaims.

Buck looks at her, slightly touched to know she believes that, but Sherry’s not letting him get distracted.

“You really want to stand up and take responsibility? Then stay innocent. You have so many people who are counting on you.”

Maddie backs her up, “Damn right. You think about every single one of them, you think about your son and your husband.”

She knows she’s hit a nerve when Buck looks at her again, as she listens to Sherry speak again.

“Mr. Buckley, there are several reasons for why things happened how they did.” Sherry leans in. "Which are definitely important. Chase Mackey is the one that put you here. He was exploiting so many other people besides you.”

“And Sherry can play that up at your trial.” Maddie adds, desperate to get through to Buck. “You’re not the only person that wanted the guy dead.”

“You don’t seem surprised.” Athena tells Bosko, when Bosko doesn’t reply.

Bosko knows better than to lie, “That’s because Diaz already told me.”

“And you were just going about your day like nothing happened?” Athena asks suspiciously.

“I’ve told Diaz many times we’re not friends. Sure, when something big happens, I might check in, but I’m not an active part of his life.” Bosko explains.

Athena nods, “That is true. I don’t think I’ve seen you two hang out since Eddie was busted for street fighting. Then I’ll just try and make this as quick and painless as possible. There’s just a few things from Buck’s statement I need to confirm.”

“How is Buckley, anyway?” Bosko feels obligated to ask.

“He’s hell bent on signing his confession.” Athena replies, looking around the apartment.

“So he hasn’t yet?” Bosko follows up, sounding hopeful.

“No, he hasn’t.” Athena keeps moving around the apartment, like she’s looking for something.

“Buckley has a lawyer, right?” Bosko asks.

“Sherry Malkovitch.” Athena tells her, as she turns back to Bosko. “And his sister’s in with him too.”

Bosko nods, familiar with the name, “So Sherry’s going to represent him?”

Here, Athena moves back to right in front of Bosko, “I actually don’t know. Buck keeps saying he doesn’t want to be represented. Sherry’s trying her best to convince Buck to slow down.”

Seeing the slight worry in Bosko’s eyes, Athena takes a gamble, “Lena, once Buck signs that confession, there’s nothing anyone can do to help him.”

Athena knows she’s made a dent, by the way Lena has to look away.

“You sign this.” Sherry slaps her hand on the paper. “There’s no going back. You’d be throwing your whole life away.”

“Better me than someone else.” Buck replies, not realizing what he just said until Maddie pounces.

“Excuse me?!”

“The only reason it got to this point.” Buck looks right at Maddie. “Is because I never grew a backbone. When Chase Mackey blackmailed me for refusing the settlement, I just let him, just like I let Mackey step all over my team because of what I told him about them.”

“No.” Maddie won’t hear it. “You were wrongfully benched because your captain let his personal feelings get in the way. You had every right to file that lawsuit. How were you supposed to know the lawyer you hired was sleazy?”

“It was Bobby’s decision to finally let me come back, after everything, because he found it in his heart to forgive me. Forgive me for something that I know now that should’ve never been forgiven. My whole team has suffered enough because of me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next two chapters are going to be shorter for the sake of a cliffhanger, so hopefully it all pans out.


	14. The Real Motive

"Okay, Diaz, now we’re alone.” Bobby tells Eddie. “Be honest with me. Do you really think Buck could’ve done this?”

Eddie makes a point to think about it, then shakes his head, “I just can’t see it. He’s been so happy lately. We just had a welcome back party for Chris. And I can’t stop thinking, I would know. Buck wears his heart on his sleeve. We all know that. Can’t lie worth a damn. If he did it.”

“We’d know in seconds.” Bobby finishes, nodding in agreement. “We all would.”

“Buck.” Sherry says, to get Buck to look at him. “You can’t say a word about your captain preventing you from coming back to the team. All it would do is reopen old wounds.”

Then Hastings comes back into the room, to tell them, “Captain Robert Nash is here to see you, Mr. Buckley.”

Buck can’t even muster up the strength to look, just says, “I don’t want to see him. Actually, I want everyone out of here. Now.”

“Like hell we’re leaving now.” Maddie snaps, but Buck’s already looking at Hastings.

“I have a right to refuse, don’t I?”

Hastings confirms, “You do. I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask both of you to leave.”

Sherry tries one last time, “Mr. Buckley.”, and when he looks at her, she says, “Remember what I told you.”

Maddie, however, goes for standing behind Buck and whispering in his ear, “What we talked about? With Bobby forgiving you and letting you come back? That is one thing he thanks everyone who will listen for giving him that chance. He wanted to make it right just as badly as you. And now you’re okay with throwing that back in his face?”

Buck shakes his head, whether in denial, or guilt, it doesn’t matter, because Maddie all but orders him, 

“Buck, talk to him. Tell him everything before you even think about doing anything else. You owe him that.”

Buck sighs, knowing Maddie’s right, and says, “Okay. I’ll talk to Bobby.”, then stands up. “But everyone else needs to leave.”

Maddie grabs his arm, “We’re not going anywhere.”

Buck snaps, “The last thing I need is you two ganging up on me and getting into a fight with Bobby.”

But then Buck sees Sherry grab the statement, “What the hell are you doing?”

Sherry looks up, “Your sister and I are leaving.”

Buck shakes his head, “They can just print out another copy.”

Sherry argues, “You sign nothing unless I’ve read the whole thing front to back. If only to make sure it’s all in order. Got it?”

Maddie keeps one hand on Buck’s shoulder, “Listen to her. Talk to Bobby. Give him a chance.”

Then she hugs him tightly, barely holding herself together.

Which is right when Bobby walks in, and Maddie nods, feeling assured already just by having him there.

Once she and Sherry leave, the first thing Bobby does is grab Buck in a hug.

Buck just leans into it, letting it relax him in a way he hasn’t felt since before he saw those texts on Bobby’s phone.

Eddie’s still going out of his mind waiting in Athena’s office, when Maddie and their lawyer step in.

“Eddie?” Maddie asks.

As nice as it is to have her here, Eddie can’t stand to wait in this room anymore. He walks straight to the door, but the lawyer stops him.

“Wait a minute. Where do you think you’re going?” She asks.

Maddie backs it up, “Yeah, Eddie, what’s the rush?”

Eddie doesn’t try to move again, just shakes his head at the whole damn mess in general.

When Bobby finally pulls away, the first thing he says is, “Buck, I care about you. And nothing you’ve ever done, past or present, is ever going to change that.”

Buck smiles, then says, “I think I finally understand what that actually means.”

Bobby agrees, “That’s right. You’re a dad now. You’d do anything for your kid, wouldn’t you?”

Buck has no problem replying, “Absolutely.”, as he pours himself some water.

“It applies to adopted family too, Buck.” Bobby begs Buck to listen. “That’s why I took one of Athena’s guns and planned to use it on Mackey.”

That stops Buck cold, as he sets his water down, “What?!”

“I was just going to spook him, make him think twice about going after someone from the 118. Thought if I did that--”

“By getting a gun.” Buck cuts him off. “Not the murder weapon. Bobby, there’s no way in hell you can honestly think I’d let you try and take responsibility.”

“No, I don’t. He was already dead when I tracked him down.”

Buck nods, can’t even look at Bobby as he says, “Because I killed him.”

“Look me right in the eyes and try that again.” Bobby orders.

Buck complies, not sad or upset anymore, just resigned and exhausted, “I did it, Bobby. Now it’s my turn to grow up.”

“This is all wrong.” Eddie starts pacing back and forth, trying to calm down. “I have to go see Buck.”

“Mr. Buckley doesn’t want to see you, and I actually could use your help.” Sherry says, sitting down at Athena’s deak.

Eddie turns to look at her, as she asks, “About the gun. It’s a family heirloom. How did the cops get it?”

Eddie says flippantly, “It’s a rare model and matched the ballistics. My father gave it up the second they showed up at his hotel room.”

“So why not destroy it, then?” Sherry asks, not fully buying it.

“Because they basically ambushed him.” Eddie confesses. “He would’ve destroyed it if he’d had time, but he was too busy finding me a job at firehouse 126 in Austin, Texas. He wanted me to relocate with Buck and Chris.”

Maddie asks, confused, “Why would he do that? I thought you two weren’t exactly on speaking terms.”

Eddie sighs, “We’ve been civil since the wedding, as well as when he found out Buck adopted Chris. But in this case, it’s because he thought I shot Mackey.”

At that, Maddie and Sherry share a look, which Eddie catches.

“Like you two are thinking right now.”

Maddie asks, having never thought of it before, “Did you? Is Buck protecting you?”

“Bobby, try to understand that I can’t let everyone else hold my hand anymore. Not like I’ve been doing.” Buck pleads with Bobby.

But Bobby doesn’t see it that way, “Buck, what the hell are you talking about? That wasn’t everyone holding your hand.”

“I know you let me come back because you care about me, and I will be forever grateful for that.” Buck says, almost in tears.

“Buck, what exactly is your plan here? Just throw your entire life, and any chance of you coming back to the 118, away, and not even fight them on it?”

Buck nods, “That’s the idea. It’s in everyone’s best interest.”

“You honestly think this is in everyone’s best interest?” Bobby raises his voice, unable to stop himself from getting upset. “Because there’s a man in the other room that’s worrying himself sick over you, who’d walk through fire for you. There’s nothing he wouldn’t do for you.”

Here, Buck looks Bobby straight in the eyes as he says,

”There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for him either.”


	15. The Killer

“Is Buck protecting you?” Maddie repeats, now demanding. “Because he has to be covering for someone.”

Eddie shakes his head in disbelief, accusing, “How the hell can you stand there and think I’d ever let Buck, my husband, and Chris’ Papa, go to prison over something I did?”

That sets Maddie back on her heels some, and Eddie goes on, “You know how I feel about him.”

Maddie can see it in his eyes, he’s telling the truth. “You’re right, I do know. I’m sorry. I’m just scared for my brother.”

That Eddie can understand, “So am I.”, and in a moment of solidarity, pulls her in for a hug.

“You know as well as I do how Eddie feels about you.” Bobby says, “And you know that little boy needs you more than ever, right when things are finally getting back to normal. Why the hell would you just give up like this?”

With every word, Buck only gets more and more agitated, as he tries or one last Hail Mary, “If I’m part of their lives, one way or another they’re going to get hurt.”

Bobby’s only more confused, “Buck, what hell are you talking about? How could they possibly get hurt?”

“This is over. I’m done.” Buck says instead, not leaving any room for argument this time. “Stop making this harder than it already is. I’m going to jail, and there’s nothing any of you can do about it.”

Sherry reads the statement again, “So according to Mr. Buckley, the gun was in your locker at the fire station.”

Eddie wishes he could just go see Buck, but knows he has to stay put for the time being, so he admits,

“Yeah, that was me. Well, actually, that was both of us.”

At this, Sherry stands up to move closer, “So when you put the gun back in the locker, when did you see it after that?”

Eddie really doesn’t want to tell her that, knowing how it’s going to sound.

But Sherry’s not having it, “Hm? You need to answer me, and you know you do. When did you see it after putting it back in the locker?”

Eddie sighs, “When I came back to the firehouse that night. I went to the hospital, went home to grab a change of clothes, then went to the firehouse.”

Sherry knows he’s stalling, “And when exactly was the last time you saw the gun?”

Eddie knows he can’t put it off, and confesses, “Buck had it. I walked over to the lockers, and Buck was holding the gun.”, tossing an apologetic look at Maddie, who looks horrified.

“What does your lawyer say about your case?” Bobby tries to distract Buck.

Buck rolls his eyes, “She wants me to fight it.”

Bobby nods in agreement, “And you know how distrustful I’ve been of any lawyers since Mackey, right?”

Buck snickers, “Yeah.”

“So when you hear me say I want you to listen to her, it’s because she knows what she’s talking about.”

Buck’s mind is already made up, but he still says, “I did listen to her. And Maddie. And you.”

Bobby doesn’t buy it, “Really?”

Buck nods, “Yeah. And I know what you’re saying, and why.”

Bobby smiles, thinking he’s made a real dent, only to have that hope dashed when Buck says,

“But it’s going to stop. Now.”

With that, Buck walks to the door, opening it to call out, “Guard? Have Hastings bring me a copy of my confession. I’m ready to sign.”

“You’ll always have me. I’ll always be your big sister looking out for you. You know I love you, Susie. No matter what. I just want you to remember that, okay?”

Athena wishes she could let Bosko finish her phone conversation, but she knows she can’t put her off any longer, “Lena, I’m sending over a forensics team later.”

Bosko puts the phone to her chest, shaking her head, “No you’re not.”

Athena still asks, hopeful but curious, “I’m not?”

Lena sighs, “I just-I just wanted to talk to my sister for as long as I could.”

Athena understands, “I know. It would be the same for any of my kids.”

But now, Athena needs to be a cop, not an acquaintance. “We need to leave.”

Lena’s already saying, “Okay, Susie? I have to go now. I have to go visit a friend.”

Then she promptly hangs up, and follows Athena out the front door.

Hastings walks into the room, followed by the DA.

“Mr. Buckley, you said you wanted a copy of your confession.”

If Buck doesn’t sign that damn thing soon, he’s going to lose it, “I’m ready to sign.”

Hastings asks, “Are you sure?”

“Yes, I am. Come on.”

“Wait, wait, wait!” Maddie calls out, as she barges in, followed by Sherry and Eddie.

“Mr. Buckley, what are you doing? You can’t sign that.”

Eddie’s next, “Buck, don’t. Por favor.”, begging with his eyes for his husband to not take himself away from him.

But Buck’s made up his mind. He has to show Eddie what he’s willing to do, what he will always be willing to do, to keep everyone safe. Even from himself.

So Buck just looks away, so as not to let his resolve break. “My mind is made up.”

Maddie has to try, “Buck...”

“Don’t make me throw you all out of here.” Buck practically yells.

Sherry turns to Hastings, “You don’t have to do this with an acting pro se.”

Hastings shakes his head, “He willingly waived his rights to counsel.”, then sets down the confession. “And it’s clear to me he’s already made up his mind.”

Maddie turns to Sherry, whispering loudly, “There has to be something we can do.”

Sherry shakes her head in resignation, “Not legally, there isn’t.”

“No, that’s not entirely true.” The DA tells them. “You’ll be witnesses.”

That makes Maddie almost lunge for him, but Sherry stops her, and Hastings quickly pushes the DA away.

“We’ll be outside.”

That’s all Eddie needs to move closer to his husband, hand on Buck’s back as he says, “You don’t have to do this, Evan.”

Any other time, Buck’s heart would’ve shattered upon hearing Eddie say his first name, especially how much it sounds like Eddie’s heart is breaking just to say it.

But Buck can’t let that sway him, not now. “I need to make all of this stop.”

But it looks like the universe isn’t going easy on him today, because of course Athena shows up at that exact same second, barging in and demanding,

“Did you sign it?”

And that just makes Buck smack a hand on the desk in frustration. “I would’ve if people would stop interrupting me.”

“Don’t.” That’s not a voice he recognizes. Not very well, at least, and when Buck turns to look, he sees none other than Lena Bosko walking in.

But Buck doesn’t care, “My mind is made up.”

Lena walks right up to the desk to get in his face, “You don’t have to do this, Buckley.”

Buck shakes his head, “Don’t you gang up on me too.”

“I know you didn’t kill Chase Mackey.” Lena says, and honestly, that’s probably the only thing she could’ve said to get his attention.

And then she completely blows that out of the water with what she says next.

“Because that was me.”


	16. The Killer's Counsel

Everyone in the room is dumbstruck, Maddie looking at Sherry, Buck and Eddie with their mouths hanging open, but Sherry’s the first to break the silence, grabbing Bosko’s arm.

“Not a word, understand me?”

Buck’s still staring at Bosko, dumbfounded. All this time, he’d thought Eddie did it, having never considered that it was actually someone nobody had even thought of, let alone Bosko.

Sherry quickly says, “I’ll be representing Ms. Bosko, and she’s not making a statement for the time being.”

“A statement?” Yet another person walks in, the lead prosecutor.

Athena explains, “I sent a report over to the assistant DA, and all the evidence pointed towards another suspect.”

The lead prosecutor turns to Bosko, “And that’s her?”

“Ms. Bosko has nothing to say at this time.” Sherry tries to say.

But Bosko is too quick, “Yes, and I want to confess.”

Sherry tries to stop her, “Ms. Bosko.”

Eddie quickly agrees, “No, don’t. Listen to Sherry.”

“So now there’s two different people confessing to the same crime?” The lead prosecutor asks.

“Nobody is trying to railroad anyone.” Sherry assures her, then turns to Athena, “I want to see the proof myself.”

Athena nods in agreement, “As soon as we have it, I’ll send it over first thing.”

That settled, Sherry turns to the lead prosecutor, “Now if you don’t mind, I need a moment alone with my client.”

The prosecutor nods, “Half an hour.”

Athena has to tell Bosko, “Lena, I have to call your sister. She needs to know.”

Bobby’s already moving to Buck, trying to pull him away, “Come on, Buck. We need to go.”

Buck doesn’t see a reason not to, so he starts to comply, but before he can get out of the room, Bosko stops him.  
“Buck, listen.” Bosko says urgently. “You have to know, I’d never let you go to prison for me.”

Buck can’t even think of a proper reply to that, so he just says, “Listen to Sherry. Let her help you. There’s nothing black and white about any of this, alright?”

With that, Buck lets everyone lead him away, Maddie all but pushing him out of the room, followed by everyone else.

Now that Bosko and Sherry are alone, Sherry takes a moment to sit at the desk.

“Now then.” She says calmly. “Let’s see how we can get you out of here. Whaddaya say?”

Buck’s led to Athena’s office, and upon entering, Buck’s first question is, “Where’s Chris?”

Bobby quickly assures him, “Carla’s still with him. Athena gave her a call to tell her what happened, and she’ll be bringing him by.”

Eddie, who up till now had been mostly quiet, now says, “I still can’t believe Bosko actually killed Mackey.”

Maddie’s thinking about something else, “I can’t believe you were willing to go to prison for her. I thought you two barely knew each other.”

Buck, however, is confused, “Eddie, Bosko didn’t even know we had the gun. How did she...”

And that’s when it suddenly hits Maddie, “Wait, you _don’t_ think Bosko did it?”

Bobby notices that too, “So if you think Bosko’s innocent, then who were you sticking your neck out for?”

Eddie knows without Buck even having to say anything, everything suddenly making much more sense, “He thought he was protecting me.”

And by the look they share, it’s clear there’s going to be some serious explaining to do.

“Sherry, I already know I’m guilty. I just want it to be over.” Bosko tells her, as Sherry flips the confession to the front page.

“About an hour ago, Mr. Buckley was saying the same thing.” Sherry holds up the confession. “Had you not barged in right when you had, he would’ve signed this, and in doing so thrown his entire life and career away in one fell swoop.”

Bosko knows better, “Because it was a lie. Sherry, I need you to look at me.”

Sherry complies, as Bosko confesses, “I shot Chase Mackey.”

Sherry rolls her eyes, “Even if that was true, you don’t just roll over and let someone like that DA out there step all over you and throw you in prison for the rest of your life. You fight it. So let me do that.”

Seeing she has no choice, Bosko nods compliantly, “Okay.”

Glad to not have to argue, Sherry grabs a pen to start dictating, “Now what exactly did you tell Sargeant Grant?”

Bosko says bluntly, “That I killed Chase Mackey.”

Sherry makes a note of that, then asks, “Did you get into specifics?”

Bosko shakes her head, “No, not really.”

Sherry sighs, “Okay, so we have a woman that in some way got screwed over by Chase Mackey, decides to confront him, maybe wants him dead, but doesn’t necessarily kill him.”

“I don’t want to lie.” Bosko immediately says.

“Ms. Bosko.” Sherry replies. “You have to understand that there’s a way to beat this. Do you know how many people in LA would be willing to testify against Chase Mackey? And the evidence the cops have?”

“And then what?” Bosko demands.

“We’ll attack it.” Sherry says simply.

“So someone else can take the fall?” Bosko fills in.

Sherry shrugs, “So many crimes and murders go unsolved all the time.”

But it’s clear it’s falling on deaf ears, as Bosko shakes her head, 

“Not this time. Because I did kill Chase Mackey. I did want him dead. I shot him three times, and I killed him. Plain and simple.”

“Is it safe to say we all learned an important lesson today?” Maddie asks, half joking. “Like, how about not confessing to things we didn’t do?”

Buck looks at her, and has to smile, but Maddie’s not done.

“But Eddie, let’s be serious. For a split second, you thought Buck did it, didn’t you?”

Eddie can admit, “I definitely thought he was angry enough. And I know it wasn’t me.”

Buck lets out a wet chuckle, everything catching up to him quickly, making him close to tears

Then Eddie looks at Buck, making sure he has Buck’s full attention, “Did you really think I’d ever let you take the fall for me?”

Buck cry laughs, shrugging, “I was hoping you would.”

Maddie laughs, “Once again, hopefully we all learned an important lesson.”

“Yeah, we did.” Eddie’s still looking right at Buck. “I have the most selfless, incredible husband and father to my kid I could ever ask for.”

In an instant, Eddie’s got Buck wrapped up in his arms, letting Buck fall apart and hug him tightly.

Maddie and Bobby both share a look, but don’t say a word.

“Ms. Bosko, think about your sister.” Sherry says now.

Luckily, she already is. But Bosko’s still with it enough to say, “I did it _for_ my sister. And now every time I visit her in her group home, or talk to her on the phone, all I see is the gun, or hearing myself cock the gun or screw on the silencer. I thought I could live with it, but I can’t. I know I can’t.”

Sherry asks, for clarification, “You said you did it _for_ your sister?”

Bosko confesses, “Mackey was trying to do to Susie what he did to Buckley. And I knew I couldn’t let that happen.”

When Buck and Eddie finally pull away, it’s only because Athena’s finally come back.

“Buck? The DA just cleared you. You’re free to go.”

Buck, however, isn’t thinking about that, “How’s Bosko? I don’t want to leave her here by herself.”

“Carla has Chris right outside.” Athena says instead, knowing that would get Buck’s attention.

“Buck, are you crazy? Go home.” Maddie immediately speaks up. “I’ll call you if Bosko needs anything, Promise.”

“Buck, come on. Let’s go home with our son.” Eddie urges, grabbing Buck’s hand.

Bobby agrees, “Yeah, let’s all get out of here.”

Once they’re all gone, and only Athena and Maddie are left, Athena looks at the picture on her desk.

“I watched Lena say goodbye to her sister.” Athena shakes her head. “It’s the same look I saw on Bobby’s face when he had to talk about his first marriage.”

“Athena.” Maddy interrupts. “He’s healing now, because of you.”

“Do you know how long it will be before Lena can say that?” Athena asks, and for once, Maddie doesn’t reply.

What could she say to that anyway?

“That’s for mitigation.” Sherry says to Bosko, as she hands her a cup of water. “Chase Mackey threatened your sister, and by extension you.”

“He just wouldn’t. Leave her. Alone.” Bosko says sadly. “And I couldn’t do anything about it, because all he had to do was put in a few well placed calls, and make it so my sister would never get the help she needs ever again.”

“Now see that?” Sherry points out. “That we can use.”

“No we can’t.” Bosko argues. “Not without exposing everything Mackey dug up for a better deal. You honestly think I never thought about that? I looked at it from every angle and loophole I could find. He was essentially holding my sister hostage at gunpoint, and he knew it. So I turned the gun on him. And the only way I can make sure that Mackey never gets the last laugh, is if I go down by myself. I deserve to go to prison. I’m the one that stole a gun and shot an unarmed civilian. I did. I deserve to go to prison because I killed him. I shot...”

By now Bosko’s getting close to hysterical, something she almost never is when on duty.

But then again, this isn’t out in the field.

“Ms. Bosko, I need you to listen.” Sherry says quietly. “If you really are dead set on confessing...”

“I have to.” Bosko reminds her.

“I know.” Sherry assures her. “I just want you to let me use your confession to get you the best deal I can. Can you trust me to do that for you?”

Bosko decides she has nothing to lose, now that she’s finally telling the truth, so she nods.

The truth is finally coming out.


	17. The Killer's Confession

Bosko’s looking at a picture of her sister on her phone when Sherry, Athena and the DA join her.

“Are you ready?” Sherry asks first thing. “They’ve agreed to not file your statement until the plea deal is in place.”

Athena and the DA take their seats, the DA getting a pad of paper out.

“We’re taking the statement of Lena Bosko in regards to the shooting of Chase Mackey.” he says. “Start from the beginning.”

Sherry nods, then gestures for Bosko to begin.

Maddie’s looking through the papers on Athena’s desk when someone comes in. Immediately, she hides them behind her back.

“Where’s Athena?”

“Oh, hey Bobby. She and the DA are taking down Lena’s statement.” Maddie sets the papers down behind her. “But the real question here is, how’s Chris?”

“He’s talking a mile a minute. Playing with his stuffed Dory Buck got for him on the anniversary of the tsunami. When you squeeze it, she sings ‘Just keep swimming.’”

Maddie laughs, “Guess we should be glad it’s not a Miguel doll singing ‘Remember Me’, huh?”

Bobby looks at her pointedly, “I know. The last thing he needs is for him to remember this day.”

Maddie nods, “But you know he’s going to anyway, right? The day he almost lost his Bucky.”

“My sister Susie has Down’s syndrome, and lives in a group home for people with special needs. We came to Chase Mackey because she was wrongfully evicted from her group home. He told me we’d get Susie back where she belonged by the end of the month. Susie loved her group home, and to be wrongfully evicted broke her heart. But the truth is, digging up dirt on people was Mackey's MO. Much like he did with the 118 firehouse, he did the same to the other residents, and even the staff members that took care of her.”

The DA asks, “How did you know?”

“Because I was there with her when Mackey questioned them all. You didn’t see her afterwards. None of them would speak to her, not even to say hi or ask how she was doing. She spent over an hour crying, and nothing I said or did could calm her down.

And then, out of nowhere, Mackey said he got the group home to reach a fair settlement. I can’t say the exact number, but I can say while it wasn’t anywhere near what Buckley’s was, it would’ve been enough for her to have the best aides looking after her, and the best group home for people with Down’s syndrome in the county.

But just like Buckley, Susie didn’t want it. She just wanted to go back to the group home she knows and loves. She has such a big, forgiving heart. She kept telling me that if she could just come back, she’d do everything they said, without complaint.

And finally, someone from the group home called and said they’d take her back, on the condition Susie dropped the lawsuit. Susie happily agreed, and she moved back in at the first chance she got.

But it wasn’t the end. Mackey kept visiting her, trying to push her to reopen the case. She finally got upset enough to where she didn’t want to see him anymore. Which, of course, is when he came to me. Said if I didn’t reopen the case, he’d make sure Susie got kicked out permanently, and be blackballed from any and all health and home care she needed.

And not too long after that, I heard Mackey talking to Diaz about Buckley. It was almost verbatim what he’d threatened Susie with.”

The DA stops Bosko to ask, “How could he blackball a disabled woman from getting her the care she needs?”

Sherry quickly speaks up, “I want to advise my client to not say anything incriminating at this time.”

But Bosko’s not listening, “Because growing up, our parents refused to believe anything was wrong with her. Even paid off doctors to put down on paper she was perfectly normal. Said she was making it all up for attention. So I paid someone to make up completely new identities for the both of us, and at the first opportunity, we just left and landed in LA. Bosko is a fake name. It was the only way to make sure Susie got the help she needed.”

Athena has to ask, “You committed identity fraud?”

“And Mackey found out about it. And he used that to get me to put the pressure on Susie to reopen her case and take the settlement. To take Susie away from all the people she’s ever known and loved since coming to LA. He wasn’t going to stop. And the last thing I wanted was that man anywhere near her.”

The DA picks up her pad of paper, reading, “According to Mr. Buckley’s confession, he was the only one who knew where the murder weapon was.”

Bosko already has an explanation, “Buckley and Diaz didn’t know I was at their house when they were talking about it. They knew a little bit about what was going on with Mackey, and had actually pointed me in your direction.”

Here, Bosko turns to Sherry. “They said you’d gone up against him several times in court, knew how to work him, and almost always won. And the ones where you didn’t, were only because they were dropped. I’d stopped by their place, using the spare key they hide under the door mat, to get your number from Diaz’s contact book. 

When I was looking for it in their bedroom, I heard them talking, and it sounded really intense, and the last thing I wanted was to interrupt, so I was just going to sneak out the window and come back later. Then I heard something fall on the ground. I heard Buckley ask Diaz if Diaz was planning on shooting Mackey, and Diaz said yes. I also heard Buckley talk Diaz down, saying it wasn’t right. Last thing I heard before they left was them talking about putting the gun in Diaz's locker.

Then my phone rang. I had to show up in court for reopening a lawsuit that never should’ve escalated to where it did in the first place. Mackey had orchestrated the whole thing. He wanted the money, not caring who he hurt to get it, and he wouldn’t stop until he had it.”

Buck holds Chris in his arms, telling him, “Papa’s so happy to be here.”

When Chris smiles, Buck goes on, “I can’t stop looking at your adorable face.”

Eddie comes into the living room, but stays quiet when he hears Buck go on, “Nope, just can’t. And I won’t. I promise, Superman.”

Chris asks, “Does that mean you’ll never go away again?”

Buck answers immediately, “Yeah. Papa’s not going anywhere.”

Eddie’s smile only gets bigger when he hears, “And neither is Daddy. Got it? We’ll do whatever it takes to keep our little Superman happy. Promise.”

Chris looks behind him, where Eddie’s still standing, and Eddie nods, so Chris looks back at Buck, before hugging him tightly.

“Next thing I got was a message from Mackey. Said to meet him at the park, and said he had some good news. That’s what he was calling about. He was making my sister’s life a living hell, and he had good news.”

“So why didn’t you just say no?” Athena asks, not unkindly.

“Because the last time we tried that, it led to where we are now. And I was scared for Susie. Was he going to expose us and our real last name, have me arrested for identity fraud? I already knew how he’d do it, too. When Mackey sees money dangled in front of him, he can’t see or hear anything else.

So I stole the gun from Diaz’s locker, loaded it, found the silencer in the duffle bag, screwed it on, snuck it into my cargo pants. I knew what I had to do. So I went where he asked to meet me, where I saw him waiting. He was on the phone. He didn’t see me. I hid under the dark of the trees in the park, not too far away, and fired the first bullet. It hit him. He turned around, looked right at me. He was so shocked, and the gun went off two more times. I couldn’t believe how quiet it was.

When I got back to my fire station, they were already being called out to the scene. They’d dispatched the 118 for backup to help calm everyone down. He’d tried to follow me. With three bullets in him. He followed me because he still refused to stop. He wouldn’t leave me alone.”

The DA asks, “So where was the gun at that point?”

Bosk has to fight to stay calm, “I put it in a plastic bag and stashed it in my locker. I thought once the call was handled, I’d put it back and everyone would be none the wiser.”

The DA isn’t impressed, “For someone who just shot a guy, you were still coherent enough to cover your tracks.”

Bosko shakes her head, needing them to understand, “I thought if I just put it back, back in Diaz’s locker, then it’s almost like nothing ever happened at all. That I could just forget it. But I couldn’t. Because I keep seeing him. It’s like he’s haunting me from beyond the grave, and every night when I tell my sister goodnight on the phone, there he is.

And sometimes, I remember how nice he was in the beginning. How he made me believe he was going to champion for Susie in a way I couldn’t. And I remember how he was the last time I saw him alive. Shocked. Like he had no clue the gravity of what he’d done to me and my sister. Like he wanted to change. And I made sure it would never happen. That he would never get that chance.”

Eddie hangs up, right as Buck comes out of Chris’ room.

“Chris fell asleep. What did they say?”

Eddie sighs, setting the phone down. “That they’re processing Bosko. We’re probably not going to see her for a while, on the job or otherwise.”

Buck makes sure Eddie knows, “But the second we can...”

“Absolutely.” Eddie agrees.

But in truth, he’s not thinking about that right now. “Buck, what the hell happened back there?”

Buck can only shake his head, not knowing how to say it, “I know.”

Thankfully Eddie’s quick to let him off the hook, “Never again.”

Buck agrees, “No way. Especially not now. Chris needs us, and no way am I leaving you here by yourself.”

Eddie replies, “You bet you’re not. From now on, it doesn’t matter what it is, you tell me. Ask me.”

“That goes both ways.”

Eddie agrees, smiling, “Yeah. Starting immediately.” 

Then he’s shaking his head again, “Evan Buckley, you have to be the most heartfelt, romantic moron I’ve ever known. You really think I was going to let you go to jail for me?”

Buck can’t even reply, the answer right there on his face.

Then they’re hugging again, not needing words to fill the void, content to just hold each other in comfort.

“Lena Bosko, I want to be clear. You are voluntarily stating that on the date of his murder, you met Chase Mackey and shot him three times, resulting in his death?” the DA asks.

Bosko nods, “I am.”


	18. The Plea Deal

The DA turns off the recorder, telling Bosko, “Don’t go anywhere. I’ll have this transcribed for your signature straight away.”

Sherry speaks up, “Along with the terms and conditions in the plea deal.”

The DA nods, “Of course.”, then looks to Athena, “I’ll need your report as well, Sargeant.”

Then the DA leaves, which gives Sherry permission to ask Athena,

“Can I trust you won’t let the DA’s biased opinion cloud judgement? The plea deal is everything.”

Athena nods, “I know the plea deal is everything.”, and starts to leave.

“Sargeant Grant.” Bosko says suddenly, and when Athena stops to look at her, Bosko goes on.

“I’m sorry. I really am. I know Mackey was a human being with people that loved him. I wish more than anything that it hadn’t come to this.”

“It didn’t have to.” Athena says, emotionless. “He didn’t deserve to die. Not like this.”

Then she leaves too, leaving Sherry alone with Bosko once again.

Sherry asks first, “Is there anything I can do for you? At all?”

Bosko nods, “There is. I want to see my sister. I want to hug her and never let go.” Bosko sighs sadly, one tear falling down her face. “But I also know that’s not part of the plea deal. I’m going to prison, where most likely I’ll never see her again, and I’ll be a complete stranger to her when I get out.”

And then, it seems to really sink in just exactly what's happening, “I’m going to be in prison for a while, aren’t I?”

Sherry has to tell her, “Look, Lena, Mackey had no problem pointing fingers at someone else to cover his tracks. You confessed. We can argue Mackey pushed you to the breaking point. He got the minimum sentence for all the crimes serious enough to get him behind bars for short periods of time.”

But Bosko doesn’t want to say that, shaking her head, “I didn’t shoot him because I hated the guy, or because he was a piece of crap that everyone would be relieved to know was dead. I did it because I had to know for sure that my sister was getting to stay in the only group home she’s ever known since we came to LA.” 

Then Bosko lets out a breath, “I’m never going to see her again, am I?”

“Ms. Bosko.” Now it’s Sherry’s turn to speak. “You will always be a part of your sister’s life. You have rights, and nobody is going to take those away from you. And if we do wind up with a custodial sentence, we’ll make sure you’re sent to a prison close to Susie’s group home, and that you have access while you serve.”

But Bosko’s already shaking her head again, “Susie can only read at a 6th grade level. She has limited motor skills. I can’t hug my sister through an email.”

Sherry sighs again, “I know. And I have to tell you any emails you do get will be monitored. But it does mean the group home can send you pictures and videos of your sister. She will remember her sister. Ms. Bosko, we’re going to do everything we can to make sure you get the minimum sentence.” Then she pauses here, before going on, “But there is something I do need to ask. In your confession, you admitted to Sargeant Grant that Mackey was blackmailing you.”

Bosko nods, already knowing what she’s referring to, “Yes, I told Athena that Mackey knew I’d committed identity fraud to get my sister the care she needed, but I had no idea he’d do that.”

Sherry doesn’t particularly care for that simple confession, “That’s all? You don’t want to say anything else?”

Bosko’s too smart to not know what Sherry’s doing, “You want to know if I told her what my parents did to my sister. The things my parents put her through to make her look normal, giving her a reputation for being a liar.”

Sherry nods, “You understand what would happen if you decided to do that, right? That the plea deal would become null and void, and Susie could get kicked out of her group home anyway?”

Bosko’s all about reassuring her, “Not saying a word. I’m sure in their own sick minds, they thought they were helping her. They just didn’t want to see their daughter grow up needing help the rest of her life.”

Sherry repeats, just to make sure Bosko is absolutely positive, “You’re not saying a word?”

Bosko shakes her head again, “No. But someone at my firehouse knew a little bit about what was going on, one day when I just needed to vent.”

Sherry’s already covered that, “He was on sick leave the night Mackey was shot. And it was obvious he was delirious, and everyone could see it. He won’t say anything.”

Bosko’s on a roll now, “What about the papers? Mackey said he had the papers.”

Sherry’s thought of that too, “Whatever documentation that showed proof of your identity fraud, is no longer a problem.”

Bosko nods in relief, “Okay. Then Susie should be in good hands. At least, I hope she will be. I’d never hurt her. I keep thinking about what would’ve happened if I’d just come clean about everything. But I was so terrified. I didn’t want to do anything that could send me to prison and take me away from Susie. And now, after so many good people got hurt, and Chase Mackey is dead, I’m going anyway.”

Then there’s a knock on the door, and Athena enters, with a serious looking man following her.

“I thought it might do Lena some good to talk to someone.”

Sherry leans back for a second, wanting to object, but settles for, “Off the record?”

Athena nods, “Of course.”

The man walks in, “I’m here as a doctor. Everything she says to me is confidential.”

Sherry asks Bosko, “Ms. Bosko, do you think this would be a good idea? It would all be off the record, so everything you tell him would be in confidence.”

When Bosko nods her consent, Sherry stands up and leaves the room, Athena following.

Once they’re alone, the man tells Bosko,

“Ms. Bosko, I’m Dr. Baker. You’re not required to talk to me if you don’t want to.”

Bosko disagrees, “Yes I do.”

Bosko takes a deep breath,

“I’ve talked to lawyers before. It always felt like they were making promises they could never follow through on. Mackey didn’t do that. He acted like he cared about Susie just as much as me. It always felt like she always came first ahead of all his other clients. I trusted him. I believed him. Then it all got turned on its head when she turned down the settlement. It wasn't her fault, but that’s the point where he dropped the act and showed his true colors.”

“This is all my fault.” Eddie stands up, agitated. “If I hadn’t gotten the gun in the first place, Bosko never would’ve done this.”

Buck’s not having it, “Listen to me, okay? Bosko had her own reasons for shooting Mackey. None of them had to do with us.”

But Eddie’s not having it either, “Thanks for trying to bail me out again.” he starts, sitting back down. “But I’m the one that brought the gun into the firehouse.”

Then Eddie’s phone rings, and upon checking it, he says, “I have to call the rest of the team.”

But Buck’s not letting him end it there, “We were both caught up in a situation that sucked all around, with a sick bastard pulling the reins. We both did things we regret doing. So please, don’t beat yourself up too badly over this, okay?”

Seeing Buck’s not taking no for an answer, Eddie nods, “I’ll try.”

That’s all the prompting Buck needs to grab Eddie in a hug again, both in reassurance and to keep the other grounded.

There’s a knock on the door, and when a cop comes in, he says, “You have another visitor.”

Of all the people she would’ve expected to come walking through that door, Evan Buckley was not one of them.

“Hey.” Buck says, smiling.

“Hi.” Bosko says awkwardly, remembering their history. “How’s your kid?”

Buck’s grateful for the segue, “When I woke him up, he started saying Papa over and over.”

Then Buck walks right up to her, grabbing her in a hug.

Bosko’s the first to pull away, as they sit down at the desk, and Bosko says without being prompted,

“After I shot Mackey, it was like I was hypnotized. I was so relieved that he couldn’t hurt me or my sister anymore. I thought everyone would be okay. And then Diaz told me you confessed. That brought me back to reality.” 

Buck’s quick to assure her, “You don’t have to explain yourself.”

“Yes I do. Before Athena showed up to my apartment, I was getting ready to come over here anyway. I was going to tell the cops what I did because I'd never let…”

“I was covering for Eddie.” Buck confesses. “I really thought he did it. I never even considered...”

Seeing Bosko’s face, Buck goes on, “I’m sorry.”

Bosko’s already moving on, “Remember the day we met?”

Buck nods, “I was being benched, and you took my place. You were just doing your job.”

Bosko laughs half-heartedly, “Feels like forever ago, huh? Maybe if we really got the chance to talk, really talk, we could’ve seen how this was going to end.” 

“You’re still a good person.” Buck says without even blinking. “Mackey was a manipulative bastard. He pushed you to the breaking point.”

Bosko’s really tired of hearing that, “Don’t. I did this. Me, and no one else. It’s just like I told Sherry. That means I have to pay for what I did.”


	19. The Sentencing

Buck takes a moment to tell Bosko, “Me and Eddie will visit your sister all the time on your behalf. We’ll talk about her with you.”

Bosko tells him, “Sherry’s pretty sure the group home will let her visit me. And I can still get emails and videos.”

Buck’s quick to say, “We’ll write to you every chance we can. And help Susie write too. Make sure she tells you everything that’s going on with her.”

Which nearly sets Bosko off again, “She’s improved so much since I got her in that group home. She’s almost ready to start looking for a job. And I’m going to miss it. That’s why I’m so happy my plea deal means I’m the only one who has to serve time. If I wasn’t, I’d be going out of my mind. Even more than I am now.”

Buck takes her hand, “She’s in good hands. You made sure of that.”

“I know she is. But now I’ll barely see her at all. Until she’s become her own person, she won’t be able to fully understand why I can’t tell her the truth.”

Buck says nothing, just grabs her in a hug, letting her hold onto him as she barely lets go enough to release some of the tension in her shoulders.

Then, when she finally pulls away, Buck says, “We’re all going to get through this. We’ll all find a way to help her understand.”

“Promise?”

“Promise. I have that covered, and Sherry has all the legal stuff covered.”

Bosko’s only reply is to say, “You’re a good guy, Buckley.”, then unexpectedly, hugs Buck again. “Tell Diaz the same thing, would you?”

Then the cop comes back in, “You have another visitor.”

Buck takes a moment to say, “I’m going. But I’m coming back.”

Bosko only says, “Hug your kid for me, would you?”

Buck nods, “I will.”, then leaves.

“How’s she doing?” Hen asks, while they’re waiting in line for coffee.

Buck sighs, “Actually, all things considered, she’s holding up ridiculously well. And before you say anything, she never would’ve let me take the fall. She’s not like that at all. Right now, there’s only one person she cares about.”

Hen nods, “Susie.”

Buck goes on, “Now Susie has to grow up without her sister looking out for her.”

Hen agrees, “Yes, of course. But from what little Bosko told us, Susie’s a trooper. She’ll be okay.”

“Of course she will. And Eddie and I are going to help Susie whenever we can so she can visit Bosko whenever she wants. And send videos. But Susie’s going to forget the Bosko she remembers. What are people in the group home going to say when she becomes more independent, about two men with a son visiting her? Her sister’s in prison!”

“No. Buck, don’t go there.”

Buck shakes his head, and they don’t get a chance to speak again for the rest of the shift.

When Buck gets home, it’s too a sight he’ll never get tired of. Eddie and Chris playing firefighters, with Chris making siren noises.

“Hey, Papa Buck! How are you?” Eddie asks.

“Pretty good. Better, now that I’m with my main men.” Buck chuckles, moving close to peck Eddie on the lips.

Eddie quickly asks, “How’s Bosko?”

Buck tells him, “Did what I could to make her feel better. But it’s still scary, you know? She knows she’s going to be in hell for a while.”

Eddie takes that as his cue to put Chris down for the night, and when he comes back out, he pours out two glasses of wine.

“Bosko’s strong.” Buck says. “But...”

“I know.” Eddie supplies, handing Buck a glass.

“When it was me, staring down the fact that I’d spend the rest of my life in prison.” Buck stops to take his seat on the couch, “Facing being away from you, from Chris.”

“Except I didn’t need protecting.” Eddie stops him. “And why you thought I’d ever be okay with...you know what? Let’s just not talk about it anymore. Let’s just not.”

Buck chuckles, “Works for me.”, pulling Eddie in with one arm to give a quick kiss. “It’s going to be hard. But we’re going to be there for Susie.”

Eddie smiles at the thought, “We’ll help her have an amazing life.”

“We’ll take her to see her sister every chance we get.”

“Absolutely.” The more Eddie talks about it, the more he believes it. “We can make it work.”

“We will.”

“Daaaad!” comes the call from Chris’ bedroom.

“Which one?” Buck and Eddie joke at the same time, then smile at the other when they realize it.

They don’t even have to say anything, as they kiss one last time, set their wine glasses down, and both make their way to Chris’ room.

When Sherry comes into the room Bosko’s immediately suspicious.

“What’re you doing here? Thought you said you wouldn’t be back until tomorrow.”

“Well, I just came back from a very long session with the DA’s office. Managed to work out a plea deal, which we can hopefully get in front of a judge sooner than later.”

Bosko’s only question is, “How long will I be serving?”

Sherry doesn’t say anything for a minute, then pulls the deal out. “There’s other details to consider as well, but I really don’t think I can get them to reduce the sentence more than this.”

She slides the deal over to Bosko, who skims it for what she’s looking for.

Bosko notes, surprised, “I honestly thought I’d be locked up the rest of my life.”

Sherry taps the number with her finger, “This might be the actual sentence, and of course there’s always the chance you make parole.”

Bosko nods, then asks, “So do you think I should take it?”

Sherry confesses, “The plea deal isn’t your only option, but that means you get a trial.”

Bosko already knows how she feels about that, “I definitely don’t want to do that. It would take way too long, wouldn’t it? Or is there a chance the jury might not send me to jail if my case is good enough?”

“That’s a possibility. But the prosecution’s going to be all over you to get all the information they can. And that information is what the jury will hear. And they do know you hired someone to make fake identification for you and your sister. That you got her into that group home under a fake last name.”

Bosko gets it immediately, “You mean they’d throw us under the bus claiming we took advantage of them?”

Sherry throws up her hands. “Who knows how the jury’s going to see it. That’s the risk you’d be taking. But this is a really good deal. Take all the time you need to read it. Think long and hard about it But just remember, until you decide to sign, the DA can make any changes they want to it, or even take it off the table altogether.”

When Buck answers the door, Ramon Diaz walks through, quickly saying, “I apologize for not calling. I heard Lena Bosko’s going in front of the judge, and it’s probably going to go quickly.”

Buck’s quick to say, “Her lawyer entered a plea bargain. If the judge accepts it, there won’t even be a trial. She’d just go...”

Ramon’s quick to offer, “If there’s anything I can do to help you and Edmundo, tell me.”

Buck is touched, “Gracias. Eddie told me about what you tried to do for all of us.”

Ramon waves it off, “Compared to what you were willing to do for Edmundo and Christopher, when you thought they needed protecting. Me and Edmundo may not agree on much, but I’ve never known him to be stupid with his heart.”

“You’re not wrong.” Comes from behind them, and they look as Eddie comes out of the bedroom.

“And I’ve never known my Papa to not always put family first.” He replies, then hugs his father. It’s only slightly more awkward than it looks.

The hearing goes through without a hitch, and within minutes of getting the official sentence, a cop escorts Bosko out, and tells Athena, “She’s ready for transfer.”

Bosko’s strong facade looks almost broken, as she approaches Sherry, “Thank you. For everything.”

But that all goes to hell the second she sees her sister, and Bosko immediately goes to her.

“Hi, Susie. I have to go away, but believe me when I promise it’s only for a little while. But you have to know how much your big sister loves you. Okay? I love you so much.”

She kisses Susie on the side of the head, then lets Athena escort her away, tears in her eyes.

When she vanishes from sight, Buck and Eddie both wrap up the whole 118 in a group hug.

Later, Buck will take everyone out for ice cream to try and lighten the mood, which only slightly works when Chris starts flinging his, and then everyone else joins in.

Later, Buck will sit on the couch as he talks to Lena Bosko’s sister on the phone to ask how she’s been, and listen for a full hour about some new activity she’s excited about.

Later, Eddie will pull Buck from off the couch, after he’s fallen asleep, and drag him to bed.

Later, Chris will wake up from a nightmare and ask if he can sleep with them, and of course his dads will say yes.

Later, they’ll be back to another shift at the 118, and it’ll almost be like nothing happened at all.

But right now, in this moment, as they cling to each other tightly, all they care about is keeping everyone together as long as they can.

Because they’re the 118, and they’re family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaaaaaand we're done! Thank you for taking the time to stuck with it until the end.
> 
> Up next: the long awaited longfic!

**Author's Note:**

> Comments comments comments!


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